New Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi is wasting no time trying to establish rivalries in the Pac-12. That included some trash talk for Lincoln Riley during signing week.
Lupoi played at Cal from 2000-2005 and then coached at his alma mater from 2008-2011. He coached at Washington thereafter and became known for his recruiting prowess. That led him to Alabama, where he coached from 2014-2018.
In the 2018 season, Lupoi was the defensive coordinator for Alabama. They lost to Clemson in the national championship that year. But before reaching that game, they beat Riley’s Oklahoma Sooners 45-34.
Lupoi was asked during a Signing Day event on Wednesday whether he wears his national championship rings while recruiting. Someone also brought up Riley in the context of Oklahoma’s CFP experiences.
That’s when Lupoi flexed about how his defense shut down Riley’s offense, which included Kyler Murray.
Tosh at Oregon NSD event. 💀 pic.twitter.com/Jra4H4YxVT
— ☘️LegalizeQuack☘️ (@Legalize_Quack) February 3, 2022
“He did get close (to winning a national championship),” Lupoi said of Riley. “Real close. We actually played them. I was the defensive coordinator on the other side of the line. He had a guy named Kyler Murray. Really good player. It was 28-0 in the first quarter. But he did get close, you’re right.”
You have to love that attitude.
Bama got out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and led 28-0 early in the second. It wasn’t until later in the second half that the Sooners offense started to figure things out and making the final score look respectable.
The Pac-12 has very much become a forgotten conference in college football. But Riley at USC and Lupoi at Oregon could help add some spice back to the conference.
