Bryant Cornell has taken over as Oregon State’s starting middle linebacker as a senior.

Cornell has been in on 20 tackles in five starts and intercepted a pass.

Cornell’s older brother, Jared, was an offensive guard for the Beavers from 1997 through 2000.

Q: You went to high school in The Dalles. Did you grow up there as well?

A: Yeah. I lived my whole life in the The Dalles. I love Oregon, love the Northwest.

Q: Did you pick up football at an early age?

A: No, actually we didn’t have a peewee team or anything like that and I don’t think my parents would have let me play it anyway. I started flag football when I was about 5th grade and then progressed to tackle football in 7th grade and so on.

Q: Was it something that caught your interest right away at that age or did you have other interests?

A: In middle school I really loved basketball. I wanted to play basketball, then stopped growing. Then I really enjoyed track. I thought I would go to college for track and field. Then football became my sport around my junior year. I really came on and if you’re good at something, you really enjoy it, so that’s what I ended up liking.

Q: Did you play linebacker in those days?

A: Yeah, I played outside linebacker my first two years and then inside linebacker the last two of my high school career.

Q: Did you ever want to try something else or was it always, “This is the place for me?”

A: Well, there was enough variability on my offensive side of the ball that I wanted something consistent on the defensive side. I played a lot of offensive positions, so when I went to defense, I was happy to play linebacker my whole four years.

Q: Were you an Oregon State fan before your brother (Jared) came here?

A: When he was getting recruited I was about 8 years old, so to be honest with you I didn’t really know anything much about Oregon State or Division I football. When he went here I got to know all the coaches. In fact, Jared went through three coaches: (Jerry) Pettibone, (Mike) Riley and (Dennis) Erickson. I got to know the Riley staff more than the other two. After Jared went here, yeah, I would definitely say there was a leaning to one side of Oregon State rather than a different Division I school.

Q: Did you watch college football at all when you were younger?

A: No. We were a sports-oriented family, but it really wasn’t through the TV. We were always outside playing football or shootin’ hoops or doing something. We kind of did our own thing. We really didn’t watch much football.

Q: Did you come down here and watch the games when Jared was playing?

A: Oh, yeah. When Jared was here, I was here every weekend and so were my parents, and they traveled to the away games. I didn’t go to those, but I was always here, watched all the games and traveled his senior year to all the away games. That was a great experience. In fact, it was one of the big selling points that I had for Oregon State as a young kid, just remembering those experiences.

Q: That was the Fiesta Bowl year. What were some of your memories from that season?

A: It wasn’t even my season, but I remember so much of it. I think one of the coolest things I remember was going to the Arizona State Sun Devils’ basketball stadium, it was like a pregame the night before (the Fiesta Bowl). It was kind of dark and the Oregon State team walked in and fireworks went off and you could see that the whole arena was filled with orange. And that was all the way down in Arizona. That was awesome, just seeing all those Oregon State fans travel that far and then seeing the game and the complete annihilation of Notre Dame, that was a great feeling.

Q: Any games during the regular season that year really stand out in your mind?

A: I remember the Washington game that kept us out of the national championship. I remember that game. I think it was the Arizona game that Chad Johnson made one of the most incredible catches I’ve ever seen. He went completely laterally to the ground going backwards. That stuck in my mind.

Q: Did you watch Jared (at offensive guard) a lot or did you find yourself watching the games as a whole?

A: The O-line’s a pretty boring position when you’re a fan. I know my mom always zoned in on him, that’s all she saw, but I watched the game. You could usually tell if the O-line did something they shouldn’t have, but I just watched the game.

Q: How much of an influence was Jared on you as a football player?

A: A great influence. My dad, he played football for (Pacific Lutheran) up in Washington and then Jared obviously played here. Both my dad and my brother were big influences on my career. They never pushed me toward football, but having an older brother that played Division I football and seeing the type of atmosphere you could be around if you’re talented enough was a big selling point.

Q: What sort of things did he tell you about coming to Oregon State?

A: Mostly a lot of warnings. A lot of don’t do these or watch out for this. And they helped and I think I came ahead of the curve when it came to some of the little things people have to learn on their own. Having an older brother who was in Corvallis who had been through the whole system and knows what to do and what not to do helped out quite a bit.

Q: Were you still considering other teams by the time you were thinking about signing a letter of intent?

A: No, not really. I knew I wanted to stay in Oregon. I wanted to stay close to family. So it came down to Oregon and Oregon State and I knew I wanted to commit early, wherever I went to, I wanted to get it out of the way. Oregon told me they didn’t recruit linebackers this early in the season, or if they do, they wouldn’t offer linebackers, so I took Oregon State’s offer and committed fairly early. I think it was going into spring of my junior year.

Q: What were some of the biggest adjustments or surprises for you as a football player when you first arrived at OSU?

A: There wasn’t too many surprises. The game speed is up. My early years, I just played special teams right off the bat and did fairly well for myself. I think the biggest surprise was being used to a high school system where halfway through practice you hear a whistle blow and you have to go to the offensive side of the ball. Coming here and focusing strictly on defense, it was kind of odd for me for a little bit, but now it’s kind of funny to think back in the day that I used to switch up halfway through practice and go to quarterback or running back.

Q: You got some playing time as a sophomore and junior to put yourself in the position to start this year as a senior. How much did that help the transition into a starting job?

A: I got a significant amount of playing time my sophomore year and then Alan Darlin got better, his stingers got better and I kind of got a little bit less my junior year. But I was always vying for time on the field. I was proud of that. Coming as a senior starting, it’s a great opportunity. It’s what you want when you come to a program. It didn’t happen as soon as I would have liked, but this year it’s looking to be the type of season we’d like it to be.

Q: What’s the biggest difference between being a guy who comes in and plays quite a bit and being the starter?

A: Some guys redshirt to physically get bigger. If you come in big enough, you’re going to get playing time. What it comes down to is just knowing the scheme. It sounds like an easy thing to do, oh, you’ve just got to know the scheme. But if you really understand the defense, not just what you’re doing, but what other people are doing, that’s when you become a starter. Joey LaRocque is a good example. He played, but he didn’t exactly know the scheme. He comes back a year later and he knew the scheme and he was a standout. I think that’s what makes the difference between a starter and a guy that gets playing time.

Q: Are you involved in extracurricular activities on campus?

A: The extracurricular things usually don’t involve me being on campus. I love just hanging out with my family and being with friends, just relaxing when I’m not here for football.

Q: You play the guitar. How long have you been playing?

A: I started lessons around sixth grade. From there, I went through high school with lessons and then got to college and stopped taking lessons, but still really enjoy (playing). It’s one of my relaxers. I definitely play guitar to get away from it all.

Q: What music do you enjoy playing?

A: I have an acoustic electric and sometimes Jeff Kruskamp comes over and brings his Les Paul and his (Stratocaster) and we kind of rock out a little bit. For the most part, it’s relaxed. I’m a Cream fan, Eric Clapton, some soft rock.

Q: You recently learned to scuba dive. How did that come about?

A: I went to Hawaii. I saw the place where quite a few of our players come from. I went to Kaanapali Beach in Maui and learned to scuba dive there. It’s about a four-day class and we went on six dives. It was a great experience. I hope to actually dive here off the Oregon coast. There’s some wreck sites that are supposed to be pretty neat. A little bit colder than Hawaii, but it’s supposed to be pretty good dives.

Q: Are you hoping for a shot at the NFL after this season?

A: The NFL, it’s all about how you perform. If that happens to come my way, if I perform well enough to be looked at, of course I’ll look into that. I think my more realistic goal is I’m going to stay here in the Northwest. I think I’m going to enter into the MBA program for my fifth year and then this spring term I’ll be studying abroad in Germany to get my international business degree.

Q: Have you ever been outside of the United States?

A: I have never been over to Europe. I really wanted to go and the foreign exchange program just so happened to be in the spring. I’ve been to Mexico, Canada and all over the United States, but those are the two countries outside it.

Q: What made you interested in pursuing this career?

A: I’ve always wanted to travel. Then I got into a class called international business and Steve Lawton, who’s really close to the football program, he teaches it and he really got me excited about studying abroad. And when you’re told you can travel, got to school, get it paid for and earn a second option all in one term, it’s kind of hard to pass up, especially if you have the time.