TWIN DREAMS WSU'S DARLING PLAYS IN HONOR OF HIS FALLEN BROTHER.

Byline: Gabe Lacques Staff Writer

It's a simple gesture, one that dozens of athletes perform after scoring a touchdown or hitting a home run. But it's different when Devard Darling does it.

``Touch the heart twice, point to the sky,'' said Darling, Washington State's gifted sophomore receiver. ``It's two hearts beating as one. I'm playing for him.''

Twelve times this season, Darling crossed the goal line, stared toward the rim of the stadium and pointed skyward. He was celebrating not just for himself but for his twin brother, Devaughn, who died Feb. 26, 2001, during a grueling offseason workout at Florida State.

Wednesday, when Darling takes the field for Washington State in the 89th Rose Bowl, it will be the next step in what Darling sees as the fulfillment of two dreams - his own and Devaughn's.

``This is part of my journey, part of my life,'' he said.

The journey has been anything but easy.

The Darlings came to Florida State as a package deal, a linebacker and a wide receiver thrown into the cradle of outstanding athletes that litter the Seminoles' roster annually. It was during the Seminoles' notorious ``mat drills'' that Devaughn, visibly struggling through the 75-minute workout, was taken into a trainer's room and then rushed to a nearby hospital.

He died, officially, of exhaustion and dehydration. Medical reports indicated the presence of the sickle cell trait, which afflicts one in 12 blacks.

Devaughn's family contends he was denied water during the mat drills, and his death caused Florida State to revamp its offseason conditioning standards. His death also prompted the Seminoles to extend this take-it-or-leave-it proposition to Devard: He could remain at the school, on scholarship, but because of his twin's death and the hereditary nature of the sickle cell trait, he could not play football.

Having lost his best friend, Darling was faced with the loss of his livelihood, as well. He wanted to stay in Tallahassee, Fla., where he and Devaughn were together for the last time, and honor his memory on the football field.

Instead, he was forced to leave. And finding a destination was not easy.

He visited Tennessee, Texas A&M, Purdue and even dropped in at USC. But at several stops, he was told after undergoing physical examinations, he would not be cleared medically.

All of a sudden, this tall, talented receiver with 4.4-second speed in the 40-yard dash was seen as too big of a risk. Darling did not share that assessment.

``It never crossed my mind,'' he said of fearing a similar fate as his brother. ``I've always worked out hard. (Devaughn) pushed through the limit. He was denied water. It didn't cross my mind.''

He caught a break at Washington State, which like the others put him through rigorous tests and exhaustive physical examinations, even sending him to a heart specialist in Seattle.

Darling enrolled at Washington State in August 2001. By late that season, he was cleared to play medically and began practicing with the team.

``It was real tough, a real down point in my life,'' he said of the six-month transferring odyssey. ``All I wanted was to get back on the field and play. I give the Lord all the thanks for putting coach (Mike) Price here, the athletic department, the trainers. I thank the Lord for giving me this opportunity.''

Darling spent his childhood in the Bahamas, his adolescence in Houston and a year in Florida. Faced with the chill of Pullman, he ``had some serious shopping to do,'' he said. The wardrobe, however, was the easiest adjustment.

Sitting out a year didn't sit well with Darling's competitive side. He was still coming to grips with the loss of his brother. At times, he withdrew from teammates.

``I see it in his eyes a lot,'' teammate and fellow receiver Jerome Riley said. ``We talk about it a lot, too. It's not so much that it's hard for him. It's more like he just wishes (Devaughn) were here. We treated him like a family member, but we can't fill that void for him.''

Cougars coaches sized up this 6-foot-3 package of speed and strength and wondered what they had.

``I mean, just look at him,'' offensive coordinator Mike Levenseller said. ``He has so much talent, but he was really raw. He's still a work in progress.''

In the fall, he finally had a chance to showcase his skills. He supplanted Collin Henderson in the starting lineup and almost immediately made an impact. He had at least four catches in seven games, caught seven passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns against Oregon and finished the season leading the Cougars in receptions (49) and touchdowns (12).

Perhaps more importantly, he eased into the family atmosphere on the team, ``clowning a bit,'' as Riley puts it, and assimilating into the unfamiliar environs of Pullman.

``He's opening up to a lot more people on the team,'' said quarterback Jason Gesser, among the first to grow close to Darling. ``A lot of guys on the team give him so much credit for what he's been through. He keeps amazing us on and off the field.''

Now, Darling is torn between his two football families. While still bitter at Florida State's coaching staff for obvious reasons, Riley said Darling talks to at least one old teammate every day. The Cougars' Rose Bowl trip enabled Darling to spend Christmas Day at the home of Seminoles defensive tackle Travis Johnson, a Notre Dame High of Sherman Oaks product.

``My brother was buried in a Seminole uniform,'' he said. ``I'll be a Seminole for life. Those are my brothers down there. I'm not calling on the coaches down there, but my brothers in the (recruiting) class of 2000 are close to me.''

He's a Cougar now, though. He hopes to play in the NFL, and Levenseller believes he can be an All-America-caliber player, especially since ``Devard has two more years to get it right.''

But in so many ways, Darling already has it right. He said he did everything he wanted to do this season. The Rose Bowl, as he puts it, ``is the time to (go all) out. This is what you play football for.''

There are other reasons, too, like a best friend he'll continue to honor. One year in, he's already doing a pretty good job of it.

``His brother is looking out from the sky,'' Riley said. ``You can tell in his eyes, his vision. When we beat UCLA (to clinch the Rose Bowl berth), it was a happy moment, and a moment like, I'm doing it.''

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Photo:

(color) Washington State's Devard Darling sits with a portrait of his twin brother Devaughn, who died during drills with Florida State's football team.

Kevin German/Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.)