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--> --> Joey Harrington will have to shake off some rust as he and the rest of the Ducks have been off since Nov. 10. AP Civil War is finally in sight By Landon Hall AP Sports Writer Never before has a Civil War game been held this late in the season, and it has forced the Oregon and Oregon State coaching staffs to do some juggling. All but a few teams are finished with the regular season, and the top schools only have a bowl game in December or January left. But the Ducks and Beavers agreed to push back their 105th meeting from Nov. 17 to Saturday for television. ABC is paying each school $600,000 for their trouble, but Oregon coach Mike Bellotti still isn't thrilled with the date. "I didn't like it, personally," he said. "A one-week bye is fine; a two-week bye is a little bit more than I'd need or would want." The fourth-ranked Ducks (9-1, 6-1 Pac-10) haven't played since Nov. 10, when they beat UCLA 21-20 in Pasadena. The Beavers (5-5, 3-4) added in a Nov. 17 game against Division I-AA Northern Arizona to make up for a Sept. 15 game that got canceled. Oregon State won that game 45-10, so it hasn't had as much down time as the Ducks. Maybe that's why coach Dennis Erickson doesn't seem to bothered about the layoff. "I don't know if it adds to the rivalry. It just makes it go longer, as far as preparation is concerned," Erickson said. "As far as the waiting period, I don't think it does much as far as the rivalry is concerned. They were gone for Thanksgiving, we were gone for Thanksgiving. We played a game against Northern Arizona, so ... to me, it really doesn't make much difference." Bellotti had no idea what to expect when his players returned from their five-day vacation, but he said their focus and attention to detail was better than following a normal week off during the season. "I felt like I had to hold my breath a little bit, but I've been very pleased with the response of the players," Bellotti said. "It's obvious they've kept their minds on football and done some things to stay in shape." Coaches on both sides also are in the middle of an important recruitment period. It's difficult enough to impress high school and junior-college players with visits to rainy Eugene and Corvallis at this time of year. But coaches have to devote their full attention to game preparation, losing valuable face-time with recruits. "We're missing the opportunity to be in people's homes, so hopefully they'll be aware of the game, but we've got to call and remind them and make those calls that take the place of the personal visits," Bellotti said. Of course, some recruits will attend the game, finding out firsthand what the Civil War rivalry is all about. "There is nothing more exciting and better than the Autzen experience," Bellotti said. "That is something that can never be simulated in a weekend in January after the football season." Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing