They knew entering the season that there wasn’t going to be a clear-cut answer.
But there’s no way that senior Jason Fife or sophomore Kellen Clemens could have imagined the quarterback rotation would last this long. Or that it would take a roller coaster-type course throughout the season.
“The rotation started off great for us, and then it kind of died off, so I don’t know what the coaches are expecting,” Fife said earlier this week. “Kellen and I are both expecting to play like we always have. We’re just going to prepare ourselves this week.”
As Fife said, the rotation is going to continue when Stanford visits Autzen Stadium on Saturday.
Both have said recently — and in the past — that they would ultimately prefer to be the full-time quarterback. Clemens has started all seven games this season and received the bulk of the playing time through the first four games.
Fife has come on more regularly during the team’s three-game losing streak, although neither quarterback has played well during that span.
In the four losses, the duo has combined for 10 interceptions. Seven of those came at the hands of Washington State when the Cougars beat up on the Ducks, 55-16.
“The Washington State game, we had some poor luck,” Clemens said of the Ducks. “The Utah game, we didn’t execute. Arizona State played well, and I made some bad decisions, personally, that hurt us early.”
Both were politically correct this week in giving ultimate control to head coach Mike Bellotti and his staff as to whether the rotation would continue. Bellotti said it would, although not all the particulars will be set until game time.
“I don’t see any immediate change in the rotation,” Bellotti said. “I think the rotation is a function of their performance and game plan.”
Bellotti had planned to go to a single-quarterback system before the 59-14 loss to Arizona State on Oct. 18. Clemens started the game, but his first pass was picked off and returned for a 50-yard touchdown by Jamar Williams.
Chris McKenzie got his hands on Clemens’ next throw, which led to another Arizona State touchdown.
Fife came in for Clemens at that point, but didn’t complete a pass until the waning moments of the first half.
For the game, the two combined to pass for 127 yards on nine completions in 26 attempts.
“We’ve just got to get back on top of things and get everything moving in the right direction,” wide receiver Demetrius Williams said. “Both of them have their times when they struggle, but they also both have good days. Everybody has bad days.

“Whoever does step up to the job, I mean, whatever the coaches decide, that’s their decision. They’re going to have their decision.”
When Fife and Clemens were on, the offense clicked and national publications took notice of the then-upstart Ducks.
Neither threw an interception through the first four games, and Clemens was ranked in the top-10 nationally in passing efficiency.
During that time, Fife threw or ran for a touchdown, helping lead the offense to more than 30 points each game.
Back then, the rotation was no controversy. Instead, Bellotti was receiving accolades for developing a scheme that worked so well.
The offense was working so well, in fact, that the Ducks nearly inserted a third quarterback into the offense. During Oregon’s 48-10 win over Arizona, freshman Johnny DuRocher nearly came into the game, which would have ended any possibility of him redshirting the season.
“Ideally, I’d want to save my year,” he said. “But if an emergency-type situation happened, I’d be more than happy to step in.
“It’s hard to sit on the sideline every week, but it’s what’s best for me and the team.”
Clemens and Fife will both get on the field on Saturday against Stanford, and how each does will surely determine how the Oregon offense fares against the Cardinal.
Bellotti, for one, expects Clemens to get over the demons that haunted him against the Sun Devils.
“I expect Kellen to come back with a vengeance,” Bellotti said. “He’s a winner. He’s a young man that has an inner strength that will sustain him and it is our job to provide the confidence, and I have confidence in him.
“In fact, I have confidence in both our quarterbacks. I’ve seen them play and play very well and be part of the solution, and I expect them to be that again.”