Oregon’s week after the 39-31 loss to Oklahoma State has been about accountability, and Iapani “Poncho” Laloulu didn’t shy away from that when he met with the media.
The No. 21 Ducks are trying to reset before facing Portland State, and Laloulu, one of the veteran voices in the room, made it clear the response has to start long before Saturday. He said what happens in practice carries straight into games, and he pointed to last week’s work as a reason the Ducks didn’t look sharp when it mattered.
“It's true, man. During last week's practice, I kind of got on the mic and kind of got on the guys.
There's some kind of lackadaisical going on, and it showed up in the game. Whatever you do in practice is going to lead up into the game.
So, the habits that you create in practice, it's going to show up right there on Saturday.”
That same theme ran through nearly everything Laloulu said: fundamentals, habits, and leadership. He said the Ducks have been doing self-scout work, trying to dig into where they can improve, and he stressed that the little details can’t keep slipping through the cracks.
“I think right now, us being leaders stepping up, being able to lead the guys, and I feel like I can do a better job in making sure that everybody's being held accountable. You know, not letting the little things out the cracks. You know, because like I said, the little things will lead up into bigger things.”
He also tied Oregon’s issues back to the kind of preparation that has to happen every day, not just on Saturdays. For him, that means the Ducks need to be sharper in practice, in meetings and in the way they start the day.
“Man, yeah, you said it as it as the older guys, but I think everybody right now, obviously, like it wasn't the result we wanted this past Saturday. But everybody right now, we're just focused on just doing it in practice. Like I said, everything starts in practice.”
Laloulu also said the team’s response to the Oklahoma State game has to be rooted in the basics, not anything flashy.
“I wouldn't really say that it’s like a problem. I think really it is just everybody just making sure they're locking in their fundamentals.
It comes down to our basics. Right now, we just focusing on our responses, just how we can be better with the simple things.”
“Everybody, they focus on the flashy stuff. We gotta do better with the simple things. Understanding, like, if we're hard on ourselves on the simple things, it's gonna lead up.”
The offensive line took another hit in the loss when left guard Trent Ferguson was ruled out for the rest of the season with an injury. Laloulu was candid about how hard that news hit, especially because he felt a play he was responsible for was part of the sequence.
“Man, I seen him after that. I was like, man, I feel like I could have helped him out because that was kind of my block, where the backside kind of hit him.
As soon as I seen him, I was like, man. It kind of sucks when people who does so good, who works hard every single day, and then something just get taken away.”
He said the message in the offensive line room has been about perspective and support.
“And that's kind of something that we kind of emphasize in the offensive line room, and just everybody in general. Like, tomorrow's never promised. Not everything is guaranteed through your hard work, and God can take away anything at any point.”
For Ferguson, Laloulu said he’s trying to be a steady presence.
“So right now, I'm just trying to be there for Trent, telling him if he ever needs anything, you can hit me up, food or whatever it is, you can call on me. Just being an older brother for him.”
Laloulu also praised Ferguson’s approach before the injury, calling him a player who showed up every day ready to work and learn.
“But like you say, Trent is a phenomenal player from the way he's been working from offseason, from really from when he got here. The way he just attacked it every single day, eager to learn.
It sucks, but I know the thing I love about Trent is the joy that he has. As soon as it happened, he said, ‘Guys, go out there and go play, go finish the game.’
So I love Trent.”
The Ducks also took hits in the backfield, with Laloulu saying sacks and hits on Dante Moore are part of the review process now.
“Man, I mean, obviously, you hate to have things like that happen with sacks and Dante getting hit. I think our biggest thing is now we got to go back to the doctor. That's the way we can go back and watch film, and see where we can critique ourselves even more, and see what we can get better at to make sure that he stays clean.”
He said the team’s focus isn’t drifting anywhere else right now.
“We do a lot of self-scout. Obviously, we just focus on us right now and just seeing how we can get better throughout the week and the rest of the season.”
And while the Ducks are already looking ahead to Portland State, Laloulu said the work has to stay internal.
“Well, it’s most definitely fixable. Right now, we're not worried about LA.
Right now, we focus on us. We're just gonna attack it.
Focus on our game plan for this week to go against Portland State. Obviously, it starts with the little things, like I said, and in practice, and the way you start, really just how you start your day, and then goes in from meetings outside the practice.”
He also said the group has to own the details around preparation, including the effects of the heat.
“Obviously, everybody knows it's hot. At the end of the day, we had to prepare.
Obviously, we were underprepared for that. So that, like I said, it goes out to us as leaders, not the coaches.
We got to do a better job making sure that all the players are hydrated, making sure they're taking advantage of the things right now. And like I said, just gotta do a better job.”
Laloulu summed up the mood by returning again and again to the same point: Oregon’s answer has to come from sharper execution, stronger leadership and cleaner habits.
“But the good thing about it is that God gives us another day, another opportunity. You know, we got the rest of the season go, and that's starts in practice. It starts today, goes into meeting, and every day after that.”
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