Something has been brewing in my mind all summer as I’ve thought about the upcoming season. Late this Spring, I pointed out in the FishDuck Forum with Decorum, a nagging foreboding about Our Beloved Duck (OBD) defense. I discussed it with Mr. FishDuck himself. We both shared some interesting perspectives. He suggested I should relieve my worries by looking at a list of online sportsbooks curated by Adventure Gamers as he was, but I was undeterred.
Tosh Lupoi has puzzled me at times despite the success he’s had in Eugene. I believe in him, but it’s time he delivers his best performance ever. When Dan Lanning brought Lupoi with him to Eugene in 2022, our new Defensive Coordinator did an impressive job considering what he walked into. Lupoi minimized the damage teams could inflict, based on the lack of top shelf talent he inherited.
That experience carried into 2023 and 2024. Once again, Lupoi was faced with holes and weaknesses in his unit-yet they were incapable of stemming the tide against the elite offensive B1G teams that a tsunami of talent brings to the playing field. Lupoi did manage to present challenges to teams of equal or lessor talent, as they were unable to overcome Lupoi’s scheming prowess.
That is when Lupoi Shines Best
Plenty of experts in 2024 underestimated Lupoi’s ability to turn his unit’s weaknesses into dominance against teams capable of threatening OBD (but unable to use their respective talent pools to exploit those glaring weaknesses). Lupoi took his ensemble of talent and masked their deficiencies in a web of disguise and sleight of hand. When it was time to face the group of juggernauts and potent talent pools on the schedule, those more than capable coaching staffs feasted on Lupoi’s talent because OBD simply were incapable of handling the onslaught of talent each group had in store for Lupoi’s outmatched band of brothers.
Penn State was an excellent example. Their lack of talent at Wide Receiver exposed how much Lupoi’s secondary couldn’t handle any semblance of talent or Offensive Coordinator craftiness.
Yet beyond the surface is a concern I hope isn’t a permanent flaw. Several times in matchups against elite talent, there were moments I felt the issue was more than lack of talent. I was more concerned about the design of the defense itself. As in how Lupoi set up his formations against specific types of offenses.
Oregon DC Tosh Lupoi’s defense has a high upside in 2025. (Photo by Eric Becker)
Too many times, I felt Lupoi presented Defensive formations that were ready-made for exploitation. Oftentimes, Lupoi’s formations invited big plays, explosive plays and first down conversions. Why? Because Lupoi neutralized his strengths by design. Whether by lining his dominant Edge out of position, offering up his stonewall tackles for lunch, or yielding their power in double teams as bridges to takedown the linebackers on the second level, I felt that Lupoi lined his prized front seven in easy to exploit situations.
Ironically, it was Mr. FishDuck himself that assuaged my concerns, as apparently, Lupoi discussed some of these issues this summer. He indicated he underestimated his fellow adversaries’ ability to not only adjust to Lupoi’s scheming, but also their ability to set up Lupoi and use his strengths against him. That was my impression from the discussion.
Lupoi Went “Back to the Doctor”
His message basically amounted to this: we really doubled down on scouting ourselves, and we too, can make a wolf look like a sheep. No longer will opponents prey on our tendencies, they will have to consider a myriad of strategies mired in the formations themselves. (Concepts I look forward to seeing in action) Lupoi has his most talented unit at his disposal. Not to mention, Lupoi has demonstrated his ability to scheme advantages-even against an elite pool of talent.
He doesn’t appear satisfied with relying solely on his stockpile of talent, and he seems excited about the opportunity ahead of him. His best season may be within his reach. Let’s see what Lupoi has cooking in his kitchen as we feast our eyes on this exciting season.
Mike West
Las Vegas, Nevada
Top Screenshot from ABC Sports Video
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Mike West was born in Southern California and moved to Eugene in 1976. He attended his first Oregon Football game and watched USC maul the Ducks 63-0. Despite the disappointment he became an avid fan after watching the Rich Brooks show every Sunday in the Fall. After graduating from the University of Oregon, he returned to Los Angeles and enjoyed a career in Customer Service for two decades. Thrilled at the ascent of Oregon Football, he attended both Rose Bowls, living just five miles from the stadium. He now lives in Las Vegas.