‘Guys are attacking;’ Everything Tosh Lupoi said about Oregon’s defense on Saturday
When talking about the Oregon Ducks’ defense, a lot of the focus is placed on head coach Dan Lanning. As the defensive coordinator for the defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs, it’s understandable.
However, one of the biggest hires that Lanning made this offseason was getting former Alabama Crimson Tide DC Tosh Lupoi to come to be the DC for the Ducks. After spending a couple of years with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Lupoi was ready to come back to college and help build what Lanning is growing in Eugene.
After the second practice of the fall season, media members were given the opportunity to talk to Lupoi about his early impressions of the defense. We discussed the overall health of the unit, as well as how the schematics for the squad are coming along.
Here are some things of note that Lupoi said on Saturday:
Takeaways from Practice No. 2
Q: What were some general takeaways from today’s practice?
Lupoi: “Guys are coming out and attacking. The group is answering the challenges. Now it’s kind of like the honeymoon right? So we’re all excited, day two beginning, new crew, new defense, new staff, all that stuff. So we’re building this culture all together, coaches included, but I am excited about the direction we’re going.”
A Healthy Defensive Line
Q: What’s it like adding healthy players and some incoming transfers to the defensive line this fall?
Lupoi: “Yeah, I’m really excited to have the individuals we have to be honest, and it’s always like this at this level of play. It’s difficult to assess those guys with no pads on, you know. So sometimes guys look a lot better like in an underwear Olympics, and we’ll find out probably a lot more building starting tomorrow when we get into some, we’re gonna have some pads on I believe so. Start finding out upfront what really made of.”
Brandon Dorlus Improvement
Q: How has Brandon Dorlus improved over the offseason?
Lupoi: “Yeah, he’s worked for it. And I think he’s got definitely tunnel vision focus on what he wants to do this season. So the challenge is doing it one day at a time. So I know his sights are set on some really big goals and I think that’s our job along with him to really understand the importance of attacking it on a daily basis.”
Where else Dorlus can improve
Q: What are some areas that Dorlus can work to improve on this fall?
Lupoi: “I mean, shoot I can be here for a couple of hours, probably per individual. So we all have a long ways to go a lot of improvement ahead but there are some things you know, he offers us some versatility. So he’s someone that we can tax. If he can handle it mentally you know in some multiple spots on our defense because of that versatility, you know, he’s a bigger guy that can move well so once again, once we get our pads on we’ll start to find out a lot more about him and everybody else in our defense.”
Justin Flowe's Spirit
Q: What does Justin Flowe’s spirit and energy mean for the defense?
Lupoi: “I’m excited to have his presence. You know, he’s someone — it’s the thing I love about Justin — is we got to constantly tell him to slow down. And I’d rather do that than have to demand someone every day to speed up. So he’s a guy that you got to constantly remind to slow down. Sometimes a walkthrough looks like it’s fourth and one with the game on the line. But I love his intensity. I love his mental focus, and really excited about the potential that he can serve in our defense.”
Noah Sewell's Coverage
Q: Noah Sewell mentioned wanting to improve his coverage. How have you seen that happen over the summer?
Lupoi: “I think he’s challenged himself. So if you just look at his body and his body weight, he’s really committed to that. So you know, he’s a guy that can move from point A to point B with a lot of speed and violence. And he’s a guy that has some versatility to his game really, as well. So, you know, we put a lot on that position at times and what he needs to do, you know, from a coverage standpoint, and he’s been doing a nice job of answering those for us.”
Freshman in the secondary
Q: With three freshmen in the secondary, do you know where they will start to line up?
Lupoi: “Yeah, I think it’s important in this defense, you know, there’s a lot of variety. We asked these guys, you know, we’re a multiple defense, alright, so we’re not going to typically play a guy at one position. You know, we want to move them around. It can tax them mentally at times, but we want to find out how do we get our best 11 on the field. You know, that to me, in my opinion of what a good coach and a good program can do is utilizing their best 11. So per situation of football, whatever that requires. We’re gonna do our best to put the best 11 out.”
Evaluating Progress
Q: How do you guys evaluate your progress throughout fall camp?
Lupoi: “I think we challenge them every day to operate to the standard. So you know in spring ball, put a lot of positive reinforcement, right? Again, now we got a reality check. Right? So now we’re going to point out what’s not to our standard and we’re going to celebrate what is.”
Additions of Casey Rogers and Jordan Riley
Q: What is it like to add veteran players like Casey Rogers and Jordan Riley to the defensive line?
Lupoi: “Excited, you know, mostly too about the additions to our culture with those guys. So those guys have done everything we’ve asked him from a nutrition standpoint, what they’re doing in the weight room on and off the field and now on the field now again. We’ll find out a lot more as we move forward and camp, so it’s hard to assess right now, you know, where we’re at from that standpoint, but definitely love them as people, and having a part of this program really excited to be coaching them.”
Prepping for Georgia
Q: At what point to you guys start game-planning for Georgia rather than working on basic install?
Lupoi: “Well, we’re major focus on us right now. You know, so that’s, that’s kind of sacrilegious for us. We’re so far away from where we want to be, you know, heading that direction, but we’re not referring to any other team. You know, it’s all about us. And it’s about how we can improve. Morning, afternoon, we’re gonna go up and correct this film right now as an entire staff. We’re gonna go right back in and coach our asses off in the meeting room to improve. So that’s all we’re focused on right now.”
