pBy Kevin Hampton
Corvallis Gazette-Times

One by one, they took the field at Reser Stadium for the last time.

Twenty-three Beavers made their final appearance Saturday in Oregon State’s fds-fdsa win over Washington.

Yvenson Bernard, Brandon Powers, Alexis Serna, Anthony Brown, Kyle DeVan, Roy Scheuning, Dorian Smith, Gerard Lee, Curtis Coker, Jeff Van Orsow, Derrick Doggett, Alan Darlin, Joey LaRocque and Daniel Drayton were all starters for the Beavers.

Smith missed the UW game due to a knee injury.

“Senior night is always a special occasion,” OSU coach Mike Riley said. “It’s a large group of guys impacting the team. There’s a lot of good players. They impacted the team as leaders and character people. I love this group of guys. It’s sad to see them play their last (home) game. At the same time it’s a celebration of their career.”

Safety Daniel Drayton said playing for Oregon State is something he’ll always be able to look back on with fondness.

“This has been amazing,” Drayton said. “Some good memories, some good wins here. It was just an amazing feeling to put this uniform on and play in Reser Stadium.”

Drayton recalled his first game in front of the home crowd, in 2004 against New Mexico, playing on special teams as what he called a “snotty-nosed freshman.”

“Just out there on special teams, just running wild, not really knowing what I’m doing,” he said. “A lot has changed since that time.”

A lot of the senior players have talked about their college careers coming to an end.

Center Kyle DeVan said the players have grown accustomed to each other through the years and they’ll miss seeing each other each season.

“A lot of us have been here since day one, 2003 fall camp and it’s just been neat to see our development, both on the football field and our friendship,” DeVan said. “We’ve all seemed to come closer as a unit. Offensively, me, Roy and Yvenson and Brandon Powers and Anthony Wheat-Brown, we’ve been here for a long time and it’s just so special to get to run out there on Saturday night with our families.”

DeVan said playing the final home game is like leaving home for the seniors.

“We’ve put so much sweat and blood on this field, especially in the off-season, training, fall camp, spring football,” he said. “It feels like this is a home. It’s been our home for the last five years and getting to play out here for the last time, it’s going to be sad, but it’s just another step in life.”

For some, that step will take them to the NFL. Others will never put on the pads again.

After the season, DeVan is schedule to play in the Hula Bowl and he hopes to make a roster in the East-West Game. Then there’s more work.

“That’s when we’ll start training for the combine and the pro day and get ready for next season,” he said. “I’ll just keep working hard and hopefully I’ll get drafted or make a free-agent contract. I just want to get a shot in the league and just show teams what I can do.”

For now, the Beavers have a season to finish and DeVan isn’t in any hurry to come to the end.

There are a few more moments to savor.

“It’s an experience a lot of people don’t have in their whole life,” he said. “We’ve been so fortunate to have this. It’s so special to me and the guys that I’m with.”