Oregon QB Dante Moore: "When you attack our head coach, it's like attacking my dad."

Spoiler alert: They were not ready for action (hmph emoji).

No. 6 Oregon absolutely flattened hapless Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon, 69-3. It was Oklahoma State's 10th straight loss to a Power 4 opponent, and the 66-point margin was OSU's largest since 1907, the year that Oklahoma became a state. It was 69-3 after the third quarter. OSU quarterback Zane Flores threw pick sixes on consecutive passes. It was bad. 

Afterward, Oregon players admitted that Mike Gundy's comments about the cost of the Ducks' roster motivated them.

 "When you attack our head coach, it's like you're attacking my dad. You're attacking a family member," Oregon quarterback Dante Moore said. "For him to attack Phil and attack Coach Lanning and attack the team was personal. ... We were gonna keep the foot on the neck and make sure we score these points and try to break the scoreboard."

Asked for his own thoughts after the 66-point win, Lanning responded by essentially saying, Yup, pretty much.

"I told our team right before the game that it never requires extra motivation for an opportunity to go out and kick ass, but it never hurts when somebody pours gasoline on the fire. I felt like these guys wanted the chance to prove who they are. I've got a lot of respect for Coach Gundy. His press conference, he's probably saying, 'See, I told you so.' Right? That's probably what his comment is. 

We have good players. One of our best, Bryce Boettcher, he came here for a backpack and a T-shirt. I'm really proud of those guys that have developed into great players. Guys that watched other people play last year are now playing for us. That's what makes this team great."

In his own press conference, Gundy essentially confirmed Lanning's prediction.

"When I made that comment, I was complimenting Oregon," Gundy said. "We've made our own commitments, all right? We have to be better, and fundamentally sound, and execute. That's really what it comes down to." 

Sports figures inventing slights are as old as sports themselves. Michael Jordan used to get upset at opponents for things he imagined they said. Kirby Smart invented people who predicted a defending national champion Georgia team would go 7-5. And on and on it goes.

But getting upset at an opponent who says you have a large payroll is a uniquely college football thing. No one in baseball reacts with surprise when an A's player mentions the $271 payroll gap between his squad and the Dodgers. Which is only slightly larger than the gap between Oregon and Oklahoma State.