Familiarity breeds subterfuge as Ducks prepare for Cal.

Byline: Bob Clark The Register-Guard

Oregon knows the drill, because it knows that California may know too much about the Ducks and their offensive and defensive schemes.

So when the Ducks play the Bears on Saturday in Berkeley, there will be some definite attempts to change things up, and disguise intentions. A year ago, that even meant the Ducks scrapped their usual system of signaling in offensive plays from the sidelines.

`I'll probably be jogging over (to the sideline) quite a bit' to be told what plays to call, UO quarterback Kellen Clemens said.

That can go both ways, of course. Since Cal coach Jeff Tedford was formerly the Oregon offensive coordinator, what the Bears signal in might be read by the Ducks.

`Yeah, we picked up some of their (plays) last year,' Clemens said. `It's not so much just us and Cal, we can pick up Washington State's signals if we look hard enough.'

There isn't time for the quarterbacks to relay their hunches to their respective defenses, however, so `we just kind of play around with it,' Clemens said.

Besides, some of the signals have changed from when Tedford worked at Oregon, and even from last year. That's likely true of Cal's offensive signals, too.

`Every year, the kids make up new signals,' UO coach Mike Bellotti said of the hand gestures used by the reserve quarterbacks on the sidelines to transmit information to Clemens.

There will be, though, an attempt to cross up the Bears. Not only does Tedford obviously know the UO offense well, but the Cal defensive coordinator is Bob Gregory, a former secondary coach at Oregon, and the Bears assistant for linebackers is Justin Wilcox, a former UO safety.

`What you try to do is adjust and do some different things than you've done, whether it's a particular call in a situation or a different formation,' Bellotti said.

`You go away from the obvious and what your natural tendency would be. ... They know we do these things, so we're not going to do these things.

`We'll probably change up some calls ... we'll have some dummy calls to see if that trips them up.'

November specials

Oregon's 21-7 record in November games in Bellotti's nine seasons as head coach can be partly attributed to special teams, the coach said.

`Look back the last couple years ... kickoff returns and punt returns have played key roles in some of our victories in November,' Bellotti said.

That's why the coach is hoping Oregon's `special teams can still improve quite a bit. We are not where we have been in the past.'

Beyond the return game, Bellotti said punter David Dittman was `better' against Washington. `I tend to look at that as a positive thing,' he added.

Combined with Jared Siegel `kicking the ball with greater authority and greater confidence,' Bellotti called his specialists `a positive for this stretch run.'

`A lot of times in November, the weather issues limit the offense and the kicking game becomes more important for field position or to score points,' Bellotti said.

Polling the coaches

If it was Election Day for America on Tuesday, it remained the usual day of preparation and practice for football coaches and players.

`I believe all of my coaches have voted,' Bellotti said. `It's not something that we'll all be glued to the television' to watch the results being reported.

Bellotti said he noticed that the television in the dressing room used by coaches had been on news channels in recent weeks, rather than the sports offerings more typically being watched.

`Coaches are no different than anyone else,' Bellotti said. `Some are very political, some are apolitical. That's a personal situation.'

If debates raged elsewhere in recent days, the prime topic of discussion among UO assistants remain X's and O's.

`In the 32 years that I've coached, I don't know if I've ever engaged in a lengthy political discussion with another coach,' Bellotti said.

Coach's attire

Bellotti fielded questions from the media on Tuesday looking like a coach who will be working in the Hula Bowl, attired in an Aloha-style shirt of Oregon colors and logos.

`I always try to wear an Oregon shirt when I do this,' Bellotti said. Of that particular choice, he said `I thought it was good based on the weather (Tuesday). It's a great state of mind to be in.'

The steady rain sent the Ducks inside the Moshofsky Center for a second consecutive day, which better approximated the expected conditions Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley.

While showers are in the Bay Area forecast for the next couple of days, the forecast for Saturday in Berkeley is `sunny' with a high temperature of 69 degrees and only a 20 percent chance of precipitation.

OREGON FOOTBALL UPDATE

On the run: California's J.J. Arrington, fourth in the nation in rushing by averaging 158 yards per game, seems almost a sure bet to become the first California player to lead the Pac-10 in rushing since Joe Kapp did it with 582 yards in 1958.

`He's not going to go down without a fight,' Oregon defensive end Devan Long said of Arrington. `You have to wrap up on him and take him down to the floor in order to tackle him. You can't just use arm tackles up high. He's a very good running back.'

Arrington, the player Oregon was recruiting when NCAA violations were committed that led to the Ducks being put on probation for two years, has already gained 1,106 yards. The Cal record for a season is 1,460 by Chuck Muncie in 1975, and Arrington has four more regular-season games and a likely bowl game.

On the mend: Oregon tight end Tim Day was held out of practice Tuesday with a minor leg injury but is expected to rejoin drills today, UO coach Mike Bellotti said.

Also still out was leading receiver Demetrius Williams, who aggravated a strained toe in the win over Washington. His status for Saturday's game at California will be determined later in the week.

Next game: Saturday at California at 12:30 p.m. TV: Televised live on ABC (KEZI in the Eugene-Springfield area).

CAPTION(S):

Kellen Clemens says the Ducks were able to pick up on California's sideline signals last year.