So, What About Tosh Lupoi?

[Jon Joseph]

On 1/3/2025 at 10:57 AM, CO Duck said:

It's a fair question to ask about Tosh. When he was hired, my impression was that he was known as a great recruiter and mediocre coach. However, DL being a defensive guru would compensate for Tosh's shortcomings. It isn't clear how much control DL has over the defense, and so it's difficult to evaluate Tosh's coaching chops.

 

A fair question to ask, indeed. But one rule of business that I think makes sense: Don't rush to make changes based on the best performance and more importantly, on the worst performance. 

 

1/1/25 tOSU "A+" from Day on down. Pursuing the Buckeyes boards, no one wants Day, Chip, Knowles, etc. fired Today. But lose as a favorite to Texas? Fail to win the Natty?

 

Dan, as he admitted and all of the coaches failed spectacularly. As did the players. OBD was touted as a peer-based leadership team. So the no-show is not all on the coaching staff. Even OBD's reliable punter when most needed stunk it up. 

 

BUT, OBD never quit even with the run game doing nothing. Gabe ended up throwing for 299 yards and two TDs. Holden played his best game of the season: 8 TR/ 7 REC/ 116 YDS/ 2 TDs.

Ohio State shut it down after building a huge lead and knowing Ohio State had another game to play but again, OBD kept on playing and gave the Buckeyes a few hiccups at least.

 

Questioning Tosh? Righteous! But along with yesterday's performance we saw the game in Madison, Wisconsin, OBD's 8th game in a row without a break, on the road for the second time in three weeks in December against a team coming off an Idle week. The Ducks D won the game.

 

Dan preaches competition and I think this includes an ongoing evaluation of the coaching staff.

 

1/1/25 - They all get an "F-." But that was yesterday.

 

B1G rebuild on hand. More portal help is likely on the way.

 

Horse Hockey from CBS as to Oregon having to better develop players when Dan has been on the job for three seasons. Without portal players, Oregon would not have gotten a sniff of the conference championship in 2024. Three of the four quarter-final-winning QBs transferred in including Ewers who spent a season at Ohio State.

 

Terrific comment. Thank you. 

 

 

[DUCKED]

On 1/2/2025 at 6:38 PM, Charles Fischer said:

Completely agree, and add Evan Stewart and we have a fighting chance...

 

At least we would not have been embarrassed.

 

The Ducks will bounce back. If Moore turns out to be QB we all hope he’ll be, and the defense steps up, I expect the Ducks to have a legitimate shot at the playoffs next season.

[Mudslide]

I was really disappointed in in D-line play.  If you include Tuioti and Matayo, the line had a total of FIVE tackles ... and 3 assists.  Burch and Matayo had ONE each.  The line was totally outplayed by tosu's O-line.  Unfortunately, OBD O-line played a similarly miserable game.  Except for DG and Boettcher, the entire team was outplayed.  But I see no particular fault with any individual player or coach.  It seems our boys were outplayed in almost every segment of the game ... by a superior team.  It happens.

 

Next season is only 8 months away.  (Sigh.)

[Solar]

On 1/2/2025 at 11:36 AM, Mike West said:

Oh I believe DL has his hands all over that defense.  

 

They're looking for a prototype at each position.  DL got it at Georgia, put his stamp all over it and made those boys beyond awesome.

 

Lightening in a bottle.  One in ten million odds.  

 

From my perspective, there just aren't enough players in college football to play the kind of system DL and JL want to run.

 

 I don't want them to stop their talent acquisition strategy though.  

 

I think they'll figure it out.  DL is too driven.  He's going to get that damn title.  

This. I said it before, if you need 4.4 speed and elite eye discipline and feel for the game by everyone without a hand in the ground, do you really have a viable scheme?

 

Dillingham and to a lesser extent Stein were willing to design a scheme for the players they had, not the players they wish they had.

 

DL and Tosh have not done that at Oregon yet for the D.

 

Is it Cristobal level stubbornness, loyalty and wanting someone he can bully? Don't know, if it is, it's not as obvious, or as impactful.

 

Honestly Dillingham is a better coach, and coach of coaches (Look at Arroyo now at ASU) than Lanning, but Lanning is a better CEO.

 

Bottom line is it's not wrong to question Lupoi as the DC. Remember Hampton is co-DC, so if Hampton has been more impressive it would be easy to pull a Saban and demote Lupoi again.

Edited Friday at 05:23 PM by Solar

[Jon Joseph]

The Melt Down Took the Entire Village

 

 

Grading the Oregon position groups in a disappointing loss in the Rose Bowl

DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM

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Grading the Oregon position groups in a disappointing 41-21 loss at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

[Solar]

On 1/3/2025 at 9:21 AM, Jon Joseph said:

The Melt Down Took the Entire Village

 

 

Grading the Oregon position groups in a disappointing loss in the Rose Bowl

DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM

---

Grading the Oregon position groups in a disappointing 41-21 loss at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

 

A bit too forgiving with some of those D grades, if you ask yourself what would it take to get an F?

 

I think the O-Line gets an F.

 

And they forgot to grade the coaches. Lanning gets an F for his team getting embarrassed 34-0 in 20 minutes of game time on the biggest stage, Tosh gets an F and Stein gets a C.

[Lrod]

gotta put just as much blame Lanning if you go after Tosh.  

 

Its Lannings scheme.  I think he has to come up with a better scheme.  And our incoming DB group needs to play immediately.  Offord needs to start.  Our schedule on paper is much easier.  Better to give the new guys the reps.  Other teams play their Freshman stars.  We keep going to the portal and getting former 3 stars at best. 

 

Brandon Johnson was 2 star

Niko Reed 3 star

Kobe Savage 2 star

Tysheem Johnson 4 star  but a he is a tiny Safety 5'10 200 who should be a nickel corner

 

 

We have to play the highly recruited players.. let them develop on the field

Edited Friday at 05:34 PM by Lrod

[noDucknewby]

How do you blame total system failure on one component?  

 

This team was just not prepared, period.  That's on Lanning.

[Jemangi]

Final record 13-1.  Depending on Notre Dame,  best or second best record in nation this season.  

 

Our linebackers, other than Uiagalelei, were serviceable mostly, but not natty good, defensive line played well most of season but their stats are weak.  Our deep backs other than Jabbar were ave at best, at least, at least as positioned.  I was deeply worried about our defense after Penn St showing.  Our offensive line caved this game as did defensive line, but they were good all year after first couple games with little depth. Jordan James had a fine season, but our running attack was no where near our recent history otherwise. We had a fine qb and he played great, but often did not see receivers or had passes batted down. (short for qb)  Kudos to tez and holden, and Fergusson. Stewart for whatever reason did not show often (did block well).  I personally, which means nothing, am not sold on Stein and all the passes behind the line. 

 

Considering, I'd say a great season and we lost to only one team who is obviously better than ours when they felt like playing.  We also beat them and won the big ten undefeated!

 

I say, chill out and be happy for a great season!

Let Dan worry about Tosh and and give the coaches credit for a season that was more successful than most expected.

 

Go Ducks!   I eagerly await next season......

 

 

 

[kirklandduck]

On 1/3/2025 at 7:17 AM, CO Duck said:

This begs the question: Why didn't any of the 2023 and 2024 guys contribute in a meaningful way? I understand they are relatively young, but freshmen and sophomores can and do make meaningful contributions on top teams. 

 

The secondary was a major weakness all year. For the past two years, actually. They always seem to be out of position and chasing wide-open receivers. The defensive line hid a lot of the secondary's poor play. Statistically it could have been much worse.

 

Brandon Johnson is a good example. During a five-play sequence in the MD game, he gave up an easy completion for a first down on 4th and 2, was flagged for pass interference on 3rd and goal, and then gave up a touchdown while in coverage on the following play. He consistently gave up easy completions all season. Was that a result of bad coaching, his physical limitations, or both? He's listed as 5'10" (which means he's probably 5'9" or shorter) and doesn't seem particularly fast. If a defensive back is 6'2" and fast, he generally has a better chance of making a play despite being out of position. I wonder if Brandon Johnson coming from the transfer portal and receiving (significant?) NIL money influenced his playing time.

 

If Oregon's secondary underperforms next year and multiple DBs from the 2023 and 2024 classes (and even the 2025 class with two 5-stars) don't start and/or make significant contributions, then Oregon definitely has a coaching and player-development problem.

 

 

All valid questions and we'll probably see some answers next season.  I surmise that the younger underclassman were out performed in practice by the transfers which makes sense since those older kids just know their positions more due to experience (plus DL has shown that he finds solid talent in the portal).  It's a catch-22 though since you're importing experienced above average talent at the detriment of on field time for the high school recruits.  But in this area I think DL is a little stuck because there's just so much pressure to keep winning that there's less patience to let the younger kids develop on the field because of the risk of losing.  But perhaps after experiencing this season there may be more tolerance for getting some of those youngsters on the field more, particularly against the lower end competition like Purdue or Maryland.

[OregonDucks]

On 1/3/2025 at 3:03 PM, kirklandduck said:

It's a catch-22 though since you're importing experienced above average talent at the detriment of on field time for the high school recruits.  But in this area I think DL is a little stuck because there's just so much pressure to keep winning that there's less patience to let the younger kids develop on the field because of the risk of losing.  But perhaps after experiencing this season there may be more tolerance for getting some of those youngsters on the field more, particularly against the lower end competition like Purdue or Maryland.

Well said! Against the best teams, you need the most talent as possible on the field to match up. Oregon needs to find more ways to get the young studs a chance to get that game experience without costing Oregon too much. It’s definitely a balancing act.

 

I’m disappointed that the offense wasn’t able to build more substantial leads the past couple of seasons against the worst teams so that the backup QBs and younger players couldn’t get more reps, like we used to under CK. That pays huge dividends down the road, IMHO.  

[kirklandduck]

On 1/3/2025 at 12:12 PM, OregonDucks said:

Well said! Against the best teams, you need the most talent as possible on the field to match up. Oregon needs to find more ways to get the young studs a chance to get that game experience without costing Oregon too much. It’s definitely a balancing act.

 

I’m disappointed that the offense wasn’t able to build more substantial leads the past couple of seasons against the worst teams so that the backup QBs and younger players couldn’t get more reps, like we used to under CK. That pays huge dividends down the road, IMHO.  

I get the feeling that we'll see fewer blowouts in the coming years due to the lengthening of the season by the CFP.  Coaches will be more inclined to dial things back and also reveal less of their playbooks in the interest of succeeding beyond the regular season.

[bbmichaels]

@kirklandduck I've been thinking about this a bit as well, regarding the transfers vs playing time for the younger peeps.

 

I see 2025 setting up as somewhat of a reset year. That's not to say they'll be bad. But with so many starters leaving and Moore likely taking the reigns of the offense, it feels like a couple more losses and no realistic shot at the title.

 

But, if that's what happens and we get a lot of younger dudes on the field, I think they're back in the hunt come 2026.

 

Even the best programs ebb and flow a little. In terms of leaning on transfers vs playing the youngsters, I think it depends on the season. This year and last we had the most experienced QB in the history of CFB and seniors up and down the roster, so DL leaned into the transfers and went for it. Next year I expect that balance to look at least a little different.

 

But what do I know...

[OregonDucks]

On 1/3/2025 at 3:16 PM, kirklandduck said:

I get the feeling that we'll see fewer blowouts in the coming years due to the lengthening of the season by the CFP.  Coaches will be more inclined to dial things back and also reveal less of their playbooks in the interest of succeeding beyond the regular season.

We could blow out inferior opponents without revealing too much of the playbook and, if you get a big insurmountable lead, you can rest the starters, which helps with load management. For whatever reason, Oregon just hasn’t been able to keep its foot on the gas (see the 3rd quarter scoring stats).

[OregonDucks]

(Please note, I’m not blaming the coaches and know that they would love every game to be over at halftime. It would cause them less stress, as well.)

[kirklandduck]

On 1/3/2025 at 12:20 PM, OregonDucks said:

We could blow out inferior opponents without revealing too much of the playbook and, if you get a big insurmountable lead, you can rest the starters, which helps with load management. For whatever reason, Oregon just hasn’t been able to keep its foot on the gas (see the 3rd quarter scoring stats).

Well that's the thing, it would require the offense (and defense) to be extremely aggressive to blow out a team by halftime.  Based on what I've seen this past season, DL and WS look like they're deliberately slowing down play overall to last what could be a 16 game run (not to mention hiding a large amount of the playbook until later in the season).

[Jon Joseph]

A Review of Tosh and the D.

 

 

Analyzing the Oregon Ducks defense under Tosh Lupoi in 2024

DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM

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Breaking down the Oregon Ducks’ defensive numbers under Tosh Lupoi in 2024 and providing analysis after the season comes to an end.

 

Do you agree with the grade of 3.46?

[GatOrlando]

I tuned in to the Locked on Ducks podcast after the game. The two guys seemed to agree that Oregon seemed to think it best to try and just duplicate the gameplay from October. The defense still couldn't stop number four, but they couldn't even generate a pass rush due to Chip deciding to use his quick passing routes instead of of runs up the middle.

 

There were two coaching staff that took away two different mindsets after the first game. One decided the victory was a sign that everything was okay and that all that needed to be done was clean up on some red zone trips. The other saw a chance to flip the script and bring a level of aggressiveness to match their talent level.  Don't run into the teeth of a talented line littered with NFL guys. Throw to a guy who is bigger, stronger and faster than anybody on the other side.

[Mike West]

On 1/3/2025 at 12:12 PM, OregonDucks said:

Well said! Against the best teams, you need the most talent as possible on the field to match up. Oregon needs to find more ways to get the young studs a chance to get that game experience without costing Oregon too much. It’s definitely a balancing act.

 

I’m disappointed that the offense wasn’t able to build more substantial leads the past couple of seasons against the worst teams so that the backup QBs and younger players couldn’t get more reps, like we used to under CK. That pays huge dividends down the road, IMHO.  

Kind of gets into that issue of winning.  Two losses are acceptable.  Kids are leaving because they want more snaps.  DE Winston comes to mind.  He contributed often, and still left.

 

Offensive Line is a little different.  I believe you can't go more than 8 or 9 deep.  We did see a significant drop off on the DL though.  Opponents scored often when the subs came in. .So is that lack of experience or lack of talent?

 

It took Winston three years to really contribute.  I believe DT Washington is also going into his fourth year.  He started making big strides, and he looked ready in the Spring.

 

Again, some of this is purely scheme.  The Edges spill into the B and C Gaps way too much for me.  I've talked to FD about this, and he believes it's a pick your poison against Spread offenses.  

 

I say attack like Ohio State did, with the Safeties AND Seal the edge.  But they use a 4-3 scheme to execute it.  Same with Penn State.  We also did in 2019 and had one of the best performances in Defense ever.  Hmmm.

 

So is it coaching or is it philosophy on defense?