CORVALLIS — If no one notices Darrick Bruns on game day, it's a good thing for the Oregon State football team.

The long snapper is happy to go about his business, helping the kicking game. When Bruns does his job, there's no reason to pick him out of the crowd.

Bruns, a 6-foot-5, 271-pounder from McMinnville, has only been in the game this season for 52 plays, an average of about 10 per contest. He's responsible for snapping the ball to holder Colt Charles on place-kicks and punter Sam Paulescu.

"It's kind of like if you are not noticed, or if no one mentions your name, you did a great job that day," Bruns said. "If you mess up, everyone knows your name."

Thanks to his steady play, he can walk around campus and Corvallis without being recognized, even though he's on OSU's high-profile team.

When Bruns meets people and they learn he's a college football player, they always ask what position he plays. After he tells them, he usually has to explain what he does.

"In the past, I even looked at it as a job that gets overlooked," Bruns said. "It just happens in football. But, I really take pride in it. I feel I have to be perfect every day. If I don't, I try to really work to get better."

There were a couple snaps to Paulescu in the last game against California where the punter needed to move to the side in order to catch the ball. They weren't that bad since Paulescu handled them all and still averaged 38.6 yards a punt.

"The season has been going pretty well," Bruns said. "There are always things you can improve on. Last game I just had a fallout. I don't know what happened, I was short-handing the snaps, not getting my hands through. Most of the snaps in the last game were horrible, and I took it pretty hard. That's all I have to say about it."

Bruns felt there was only one good snap of the 10 punts, and ironically it was the one Paulescu shanked for only 18 yards.

"I think it's huge; it's big," Paulescu said of his teammate's effort. "People don't realize it. A high snap or a low snap compared to a where the punter wants it, it's huge. It's less movement; it's more time for the punter to get it out there and have more time to do his job."

There have been 16 attempts on extra points and field goals this season. And while there have been five misfires on the place-kicks, none of them were missed due to bad snaps.

"He's improved, and he's doing the best he can," special teams coach Bruce Read said. "He's come a long way since last spring."

Bruns, who played on the offensive line anyway, started long snapping in middle school because no one wanted the responsibility. He honed this specialty during his time at McMinnville High School.

"It just came naturally for me," Bruns said.

When he was looking for colleges to attend, Bruns was mainly recruited as a basketball player. He excelled for the Grizzlies, helping the team to the Pac-9 Conference championship.

Although various small colleges throughout the Northwest were interested in him, Bruns attended OSU to concentrate on school, majoring in elementary education.

Bruns didn't even walk on with the Beavers his first year. However, he knew one of the team's equipment managers, who talked him into trying out since the team was thin on long snappers.

The spring of his freshman year, Bruns started working out with the Beavers. He played in four games as a sophomore and has been steady ever since.

"I always wanted to excel in football, and this is an opportunity to be part of a great program," Bruns said.

Bruns has been able to improve quickly due to his specialized job. Once the group special teams work is complete each day, he spends the rest of the two-hour-plus practices working out individually.

Read or one of the kickers receives his snaps. Even when he's relaxing, Bruns grips a football and goes over the little details of his job.

"It takes a lot of trial and error about how you hold the ball and throw it," Bruns said. "Guys try it and they learn it's not that easy."

After completing the snap, he must block. That's what separates ordinary linemen and long snappers. Bruns is positioned legs spread and head down. He's in a vulnerable position from rushers.

"The first thing is to make a perfect snap so the holder can get the ball down with the laces out, or so the punter is not jumping," Bruns said. "The one thing to perfect after a good snap is to get your head up and be ready for the block."

His advantage is knowing when he's going to snap the ball. When that's done on punts, Bruns heads downfield to make a tackle.

It's not glamorous with touchdowns or big hits, but the job is something Bruns enjoys.

"The fun for me is setting the kickers and punter up to be successful, so they don't have to work hard to get their job done," Bruns said. "I always wanted to play another position on the team but I know my role is to be the long snapper. I just want to perfect that job. I don't want any mistakes on a punt, field goal and PAT. I want to leave the game knowing I didn't put our kickers in jeopardy."

He hopes to earn a scholarship next year by proving he's reliable. In the distant future he may give it a shot at the professional level. There are no long snappers taken as No. 1 draft picks, but they are signed by each NFL team.

Until then, Bruns is content being quietly appreciated by the coaches and his teammates.

By Cliff Kirkpatrick, Mid-Valley Sports