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Tennessee head coach Butch Jones (center) and defensive coordinator John Jancek (left) react in the season-opening victory against Austin Peay on Aug. 31.

(Amy Smotherman Burgess/The Associated Press )

EUGENE — Turnover on Oregon’s coaching staff is so rare it has been called the “gold standard” of coaching continuity.

If

staff at Tennessee can’t quite match Oregon’s unique tenure – four UO assistants rank among the 17 longest-serving coaches at the same school – it was still assembled with the same overriding philosophy of ensuring coaching consistency whenever possible, and eliminating mistakes because of it.

Thus, when the No. 2 Ducks face Tennessee on Saturday at Autzen Stadium, they’ll be facing a well-oiled coaching machine whose start at Rocky Top was technically in December, but with roots that go back 15 years to Mount Pleasant, Mich.

“You win with consistency,” Jones said Wednesday. “A lot of these players have had five or six coaches at their respective positions in our program so I think the overall development of a student-athlete is aided by consistency and continuity and it’s everywhere. It’s in recruiting, with coaches knowing the families first-hand, knowing their personalities, but it’s also feeding off the strengths of their coaching staff. Oregon is a great illustration of that, and I think we are, too.”

It will certainly be a change-up from facing Virginia, which had five new coaches, including both coordinators, after head coach Mike London cleared house following a 4-8 season in 2012.

The effect of having as many familiar faces as Tennessee does can be revealed a bit in video study of Jones’ previous teams. Since becoming head coach of Central Michigan in 2007, and Cincinnati in 2010, Jones has a 52-27 overall record.

“They’re doing some of the same things that his staff did at Cincinnati,” said Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost, who has been in Eugene since 2009.

Frost would need to stay on staff until 2039 to match the program-record 31 years Gary Campbell has spent as running backs coach. That’s four more years than any other assistant in the nation has spent at one school.

Oregon also has 27 years of experience from offensive line coach Steve Greatwood (in two stints) and 22 from Nick Aliotti (in three stints).

The hidden benefit of such stability doesn’t fully reveal itself, however, simply in similar formations, said Pete Roussel. He's a former assistant coach for six years who now runs coachingsearch.com, a website devoted to tracking the coaching industry, and he gave the Ducks their “gold” rating.

College coaching can be a game of telephone that starts with one vision from the head coach but trickles differently through separate position groups. The key is when coaches understand the message the same, and deliver a consistent message to their units.

“That’s a big reason that they’ve been able to get off to the terrific start and gain a lot of momentum in recruiting right away,” said Roussel, citing Rivals’ 21st-ranked recruiting class of 2013 – one spot higher than Oregon – that Jones and Co. threw together in two months. The Vols’ 2014 class is ranked second nationally.

“With that kind of staff continuity they know how to anticipate the problems because they know the problems in their systems,” Roussel said. “I think they can really reduce a lot of the little things you might not notice as a general fan. They won’t have nearly as many communication errors on the sidelines because they’ve done this three different times together.”

Oregon linebacker coach Don Pellum, in his 22nd year at his alma mater, said that applies to UO’s staff, as well.

“If a guy says a certain thing you know exactly what it means,” Pellum said. “That’s opposed to someone new who you have to go through the process of interpreting it.”

Five Tennessee assistants coached with Jones at both Cincinnati and Central Michigan. Another, safeties coach Willie Martinez, has known Jones since 1998, when Martinez coached the secondary and Jones the tight ends for the Chippewas. In March 2011,

four of his then-Cincinnati assistants were offered “other BCS, high-caliber, high-profile jobs. And all four stayed.”

Joe Bernardi has been a part of both staffs.

After two years as Tennessee’s offensive line graduate assistant, he joined Oregon in the same role in February. Some traditions transcend a coaching staff, he cautioned. In Knoxville, coaches weren’t allowed inside the football center without wearing slacks, while at Oregon there is a more laid-back approach. When Bernardi showed up in dress pants on his first day,

joked with him he was overdressed. Later that day, Helfrich drove Bernardi to get lunch at the Albertson’s grocery store deli.

The goal – winning – is universal, however. Oregon and Tennessee’s method of achieving that has been perfected in years of practice together.

“They all believe in Butch and so they’ve all stayed together,” Bernardi said. “Obviously his formula has worked.”