Ghosts of Games Past

There are several things I enjoyed about last Saturday’s Oregon-Washington Football game. Obviously, as a Duck fan, I enjoyed seeing Oregon wing its way to a substantial victory over the Huskies. The weather was gorgeous, the view over Portage Bay and Lake Washington was postcard-perfect. It was football weather at its best. Because it was homecoming at UW, the stands were filled with purple and gold. After some disappointing seasons, it was heartening to see the bleachers packed, instead of conspicuously vacant.

Because we were using tickets that were given to us through an undisclosed source, we found ourselves seated amid a sea of purple and gold. And these were not congenial folks. They did not appreciate our green and yellow, and were not shy about letting us know that we were in hostile territory. We returned their frostiness with what we hoped were gestures of good-humored passivity, and tried to laugh it off. We started out not cheering as loud as we would have had we been in Autzen Stadium, but by the end of the game, we found it difficult not to infuse our cheering with just the tiniest bit of arrogance.

What I was heartened to learn, however, is the Ducks took the game in stride. They played their game, they played well, and they won without punching anyone out. An article in the Seattle Times described their workmanlike approach to the game.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/budwithers/2010131220_withers25.html

Defensive end Will Tukuafu made this comment concerning the USC matchup on the 31st: "I'm guessing it'll be fired-up," said Tukuafu, referring to Eugene. "We aren't really too worried about getting involved in the hype."

I guess they learned their lesson about talking smack without having something to back it up. (Don’t let your mouth write no checks that your defense can’t cash, or something like that). As well as the Ducks have played, they will be forever haunted by the pre-game and post-game nonsense in Boise that threatened to define their playing style, as well as their ability to win games.

Coach Chip Kelly says of his team, "They love to practice and they love to play." Let’s hope that when they play USC this weekend, the ghosts of games past will just be a bad dream. Go Ducks!