It's Clear Oregon has Boise on the Mind

I was just reading Ken Goe’s Pac-10 football links at OregonLive.com and he mentions that the Ducks have been a little free with their words during camp while Boise has kept a lid on it.

Jeremiah Masoli has said he was “embarrassed” by the loss to Boise a year ago and Ed Dickson was quoted stating the Broncos rub him the wrong way. (EDIT: Can’t believe I originally forgot to add LeGarrette Blount’s overlooked take in Sports Illustrated when he said of Boise, “We owe that team an ass-whuppin’.” Nothing subtle about that.).

Now you have a few Ducks mentioning they’re not too pleased about the handshake idea (which is contrived absurdity by the way). It all adds up to a bunch of feathered football players that seem eager for this game. None of the words have been inflammatory, but I think the underlying meaning has been much deeper. It’s almost like they know they shouldn’t incite the Broncos but they just can’t stop an occasional sentence from slipping past the filter. You can almost see them pushing the words through clamped teeth as they try holding back.

Last year clearly didn’t sit well. It’s not just the loss, it’s the late hits, most notably the one that knocked QB Jeremiah Masoli out of the game. It’s been funny watching Boise and Oregon fans go back and forth on this for a year. You expect that from fans, but I get the feeling if the Duck players weren’t toeing the line and maintaining some pregame tact, they might jump right into the back-and-forth vitriol between the two fanbases.

It’s a different side of Oregon not usually seen in the Mike Bellotti years. The cool veneer may be getting replaced with a more aggressive temperament.