CHICK-FIL-A PEACH BOWL: OREGON VS INDIANA

January 7, 2026

Tosh Lupoi

Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Oregon Ducks

Press Conference

Q. Coach Lanning seems to have approached this season a little bit differently than last year and really tried to apply whatever lessons he could. One of the things that the players have said is he sort of has been making these metaphors about March Madness. Have you seen him do that?

TOSH LUPOI: Yeah, I go to those team meetings, too. Certainly we've had some great themes. From a defensive standpoint, it's about sticking to our annual theme, which means our daily thing, and it's about playing with a relentless effort, attacking the ball, and playing for each other, ultimately.

But as far as the march madness, we want to be peaking at the right time. So to have a great performance a week ago was great, but that's in the past already. We attacked the debrief of that the next day, the exact same way we attacked the debrief of playing Indiana and JMU and every other great opponent we've played this season.

Win or lose, we're never allowing victory or defeat to be the imposter they are. We're going to have a very clinical view and debrief of the game that just occurred and then attack the process going forward and really dive in deep, have some familiarity with an opponent we've played before just like they do with us. We're about to find out whose preparation was better.

Q. Have there been any tweaks at all to the approach this season from last year?

TOSH LUPOI: There's been a ton. We're in a different situation, so last year being the No. 1 seed in the country, we were basically at the point of almost saying prayers to not be in the top 4. We wanted to throw a pool party when we got selected fifth because that means we get to go play and not sit around for 40 days, and it would have been longer last year after we won the Big Ten Championship advancing. So we couldn't be more fired up.

Even within the time in between, we had a different approach. We had a mock game, which was really cool. I thought that was an innovative idea of Coach Lanning. We did everything exactly like playing a game. We went to the hotel.

We played a joke on the staff, as well, where he even put it up there where everyone had to wear suits - may or may not have been my idea - so a couple people came to work wearing suits. Just treat it exactly like game day. It was awesome.

But we had the approach of creating and stimulating a mock game, and again, just keeping it rolling, and hopefully we'll gravitate one day in college football instead of the awesome idea of having the playoffs during an opening period of the portal -- like great idea. Hopefully we'll gravitate towards just playing games and being in an NFL system where maybe there's one week or so, but just keeping this thing rolling and not dealing with what we're all dealing with right now.

Q. Tosh, going off that, how often will you check your phone after this just to see what's happening with the portal?

TOSH LUPOI: Well, it's just part of the job. I don't really get antsy.

Q. Eager maybe?

TOSH LUPOI: Yeah, we're going to go and transition into the next period and then hopefully go sign another first-round draft pick at the University of California, before we reset our mind and get full focus towards the next meeting tonight.

Q. Have you and Will discussed what it's like to do two jobs at the same time?

TOSH LUPOI: No, we've been pretty busy preparing for this game. We haven't been on the trail. I know other people get afforded to, and we don't. Obviously an extreme disadvantage.

But with young men of your own team considering the portal and guys that we haven't even had the opportunity to meet, unfortunately, because of the way the schedule is set, but you can complain about it, cry about it, or do your best to be adaptable and compete within.

It's really important to me going through this process again, whether at Alabama and having similarities with Kirby Smart moving on to the next job or Jeremy Pruitt moving on to the next job, and then myself going to the NFL is making sure that not giving the players any disservice of what they deserve, of the preparation that goes into this. That's something that I'll refuse to do. That obviously affects my life, my ability to be a great father and a great husband. But fortunately I have an amazing wife that understands it.

Haven't got a lot of sleep, but I know you don't really care.

Q. There's been a ton of credit to your tech staff. How have you leaned on that staff to maintain --

TOSH LUPOI: Well, I haven't missed anything, so I haven't missed a single thing as far as preparation here, which of course obviously affects the preparation of the next chapter. Again, I'm not going to give any disservice to the young men here that deserve my all.

But going back to day one or to now, this has been the best defensive staff I've ever been a part of in my career, and so that makes things, one, awesome, and every day you do wake up after your nap to go to work in the morning. It's an awesome feeling. But heavily relying, depending on them and their expertise. Guys like Darrion Daniels, Tony Tuioti, the whole crew, Hampton and Wadood and Brian and everyone that's been a part of this thing, Kam and Bryan Barraza and just an elite crew that I've been fortunate to be coaching with.

Kudos to them and their preparation. Here we are at this moment, and now it's the opportunity to go attack.