It's been a bumpy ride and a rough finish. But regardless, Saturday's game against Purdue marks the last time the 2002 senior class will take the field at Spartan Stadium.

"I've got a lot of memories coming through that tunnel," senior cornerback DeMario Suggs said. "It's going to feel good coming through the tunnel for the last time."

Suggs is one of 14 Spartans who will be honored before their last game at home for their contributions to the Green and White.

But unlike the rest of the class, Suggs has been hanging around East Lansing for six years. He redshirted as a true freshman in 1997, then earned a medical redshirt and his sixth year of eligibility after breaking his ankle last season.

So in a sense, Suggs is the resident expert on senior classes.

"I've gone through, what - three of them now," he said with a chuckle. "This is probably one of the most difficult with all the things we had going on."

This season was supposed to be filled with promise. In the preseason, the Spartans (4-6 overall, 2-4 Big Ten) were picked to finish third in the conference and were even considered by some to be a dark horse national championship contender.

But a 2-2 start had critics thinking twice about the Spartans. Then after winning the Big Ten opener, MSU dropped four straight to officially silence all title talks.

And that was just the beginning of the bad news. Junior quarterback Jeff Smoker was indefinitely suspended Oct. 24 and senior tailback Dawan Moss quickly followed suit. Then misery was capped off by the firing of head coach Bobby Williams on Nov. 4.

"It's been a little disappointing," senior strong safety Thomas Wright said. "But on the bigger side, it's been fun because I had another chance to play with all these guys."

Wright said the good times have outweighed the bad. But he said a win against the Boilermakers would certainly help ease the pain.

Like most of the seniors, however, Wright said he's trying not to think about the fact that Saturday is his last game inside Spartan Stadium.

"I'm just waiting till the clock reads 00:00," he said. "I've put in my time and paid my dues. Now it's time for me to get out of here.

"It's going to be a little tough for me. I've been here four years and I've been playing since I was a freshman."

As freshmen, things looked bright for this class. MSU posted a 10-2 season with a win against Florida in the Citrus Bowl to cap it off.

Many of the seniors look back to the 37-34 victory over the Gators as their favorite memory, which is understandable considering the Spartans are just 16-17 since.

"Things didn't always go right for us," senior linebacker Richard Bryce said. "But I think in the long run, as a team we tried are best to stay together and we tried our best to stay encouraging and positive."

That alone is a commendable feat considering all that's gone wrong. But unfortunately for the senior class, they won't be able to take the field as a whole come Saturday.

Moss still is suspended and both left tackle Ulish Booker and cornerback Cedric Henry are expected to miss the game with injuries.

"As of now, I'm not sure of everyone's status for playing on Saturday," senior right guard Paul Harker said. "In a perfect world that'd be great if every senior could play in their last home game."

In fact, only four seniors - wide receiver BJ Lovett, cornerback Broderick Nelson, Harker and Wright - will start against Purdue. In comparison, there's just as many freshman starting as seniors.

"It kind of feels weird, but what can I do," said freshman cornerback Ashton Watson, who's starting in place of Henry. "This is a dream come true for me.

"I've just got to play. That's all I can do."

But Watson said he knows how it feels to have a senior season not go the way you want it to.

"My senior year of high school I can remember how we went out, 8-2 and didn't make it to the playoffs," he said. "It's something that is always in your mind. I know that's got to be pretty hard for them."

But in a sense, it's almost fitting that this class battles adversity to the very end. It wouldn't seem right any other way.

"You've got a lot of different guys who've been through a lot," junior linebacker Mike Labinjo said. "You could pretty much say they're the survivors."

Maybe that's the best way to describe this class, as survivors.

But these seniors might soon reach the end of their football careers. Outside of Wright, none have had the kind of season needed to get drafted into the NFL. So despite all they've accomplished, the battle to sustain their football lives has just begun.

Maybe that's why none of them want their Spartan careers to end.

"I'm anxious for the game to get here, but at the same time I wish I could prolong it so it wouldn't have to be my last time," Harker said. "I guess that's always been in the back of my mind."

But one thing always has been true about this senior class - they're quiet. They'd rather lead by example and they don't waste time complaining about everything that's gone wrong.

And that's exactly why the underclassmen respect them so much.

"They deserve more than what's been going on," sophomore quarterback Damon Dowdell said. "And I do want to give them something special in the end.

"We want to go out and play hard for the seniors."

But win or lose, these seniors know that they'll be Spartans for life.

"I'm looking forward to being called alumni," Wright said. "I've never even sat down and watched the Spartans play in a game. I'm looking forward to that."

Wright joked that he's also looking forward to his first Spartan tailgate, something he's never been able to enjoy as an athlete.

All the seniors admit they'll miss being a member of the Spartans and roaming the campus with pride. But they know they'll always have each other.

"The best memories are being with your teammates," Bryce said. "I've had a great time here and I'm sure I'll take some of these relationships on with me in my life."

Eric McKinney can be reached at mckinn54@msu.edu.