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QuickTake:
UO’s defensive coordinator has a head coaching job waiting at Cal — but his attention remains on Oregon, its playoff run and finishing what he started in Eugene.
Tosh Lupoi didn’t know all the names, just the numbers.
And one can forgive the Oregon defensive coordinator for that — he’s been a bit busy over the last few weeks.
Lupoi is in his final weeks as Oregon’s defensive coordinator. He was named Cal’s head coach last week, has been conducting hiring interviews in the wee hours of the night and, at 44 years old, is juggling the responsibility of gearing up for his dream job while trying to finish off a dream season.
And with No. 12 James Madison arriving Saturday, Lupoi has a few digits for the Ducks to focus on.
“There’s 13, 0, 10 and 11 that jump out on paper,” Lupoi said of the Dukes’ receiving corps. “There’s an individual who has the longest average depth of target, a double-move guy who loves running for downfield shots — it’s a big part of their offense.”
Lupoi has become a massive part of Oregon’s defense.
Of course, that’s the expectation when hiring a defensive coordinator. But in Lupoi’s four seasons with the Ducks, the one-time Cal defensive end didn’t just recruit as advertised — he took a group that in 2021 ranked 75th in scoring defense (27.0 points allowed per game) and 71st in total defense (384.6 yards allowed per game), and morphed it into the nation’s No. 8 unit in scoring defense (14.8 points allowed per game) and No. 4 in total defense (251.6 yards allowed per game) this year.
Maybe more important to Lupoi: He was in charge of a unit that helped change the perception that Oregon is just the school with the flashy offense and uniforms.
“Moving forward, I think there’s a standard that’s been set here, and we’ve changed that narrative,” Lupoi said. “We’re really proud of that — of how we finished and relinquished the least amount of points since 1966, and where our defense has grown to.”
And Lupoi is clear: His job isn’t done.
The Ducks face a top-10 offense Saturday, the first of four challenges separating Oregon from its first national championship. And while Lupoi’s college football legacy will ultimately be cemented by what happens in Berkeley, he said he never considered not finishing the job in Eugene.
At a time when coaches such as Lane Kiffin have deserted their programs right before the playoffs, Lupoi said there was an opportunity outside of Cal that he turned down because it wouldn’t allow him to see this through.
“Ultimately, that was a bit of a deal-breaker for another place, and that’s fine. I respect their process. But that was very clear,” Lupoi said. “I made it very clear: Over my dead body would I ever leave the individuals here. One, they’ve put myself and my family in this position. And two, I wanted to finish what we started here.”
The arrangement worked for Cal, but it’s led to a rapid month of December for the notoriously hard-working coach. Lupoi said the Ducks are his top priority until the end of the season — so much so that he’s picked up a habit of locking his phone in a cabinet during Oregon hours and taking it out only at the end of the day, once James Madison prep is done.
“This opponent is demanding a lot of respect from us,” he said. “They do a really good job. So I’m not going to cut short any focus or attention to detail.”
