The day mom and dad discover they'll have a son, the dreams begin.

If the little bambino is born in these parts, odds are they'll involve 25,000 football fans cheering at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Junior is to be a tough but well-mannered kid, down-to-earth with a habit of smiling.

He'll make his parents proud. He'll make his hometown proud. Those who know him will point out he's a "Montana kid," gushing like Marines that just gutted their way through boot camp.

Missoula's Scott and Teresa Palmer weren't blessed with one of those kids. They were blessed with two. Twins that set a standard as athletes and gentlemen for every local grade-schooler who dares to dream in Maroon and Silver.

On Saturday, Jace and Tyler Palmer, the most successful twins to ever play at UM, walked out of a tunnel onto John Hoyt Field for their final Big Sky Conference game. This likable duo that rooms together, laughs together and sweats together will soon go its separate way.

But oh what a 23-year ride it's been, culminating in four magical years on a college football team that has gone 30-for-31 in league action.

Perhaps fittingly, the Palmers both played key roles on senior day in a 38-10 win. Ty caught the go-ahead touchdown pass and Jace jostled Northern Colorado's quarterback with a thunderous sack.

"Just seeing him make plays is pretty exciting," Jace said of Tyler after the game. "I try to be the first one down to give him a high-five."

Football just wouldn't be the same for Ty and Jace in another town. A town without locals to chat with and a place like mom-and-dad's to hang out after home games.

"You know everybody is usually going to call or you'll run into somebody after a game who might say - like after last week - ‘Oh man, you scared me. Don't do that to me again,'" said Tyler, alluding to Montana's close call at Idaho State.

"You'd be surprised how many people take it seriously. We have a bunch of girls we hang out with and you don't think they know a lot about football but they're just dying over it. People care. We're lucky to have people here that care about us. That's the motor behind this whole thing."

Rooming with the Palmers is a bit different than with someone else. Sure there's the usual college hijinks you'd expect, as Marc Mariani could attest. But how many college football players do you know that take you to grandma's house for dinner?

"She's big on making grilled cheese and stuff like that for us," Jace said of Beverly Bray, who lives just down the street from Jace and Tyler. "She loves having us over and she's probably one of the bigger Griz fans I've ever seen, her and my grandpa (Harry) before he passed away. I don't think they missed a Griz game in 30 years."

For the first time since they arrived on campus in 2005, Tyler and Jace sat together at a postgame press conference Saturday. The first thing you noticed was their curls - "thanks to mom," Jace offers - and the second was a personable quality.

Truth is they take their status as Griz representatives mighty serious. That goes for everything from encouraging youngsters to getting haircuts.

"I usually wear my hair short and I was thinking of getting it cut," Tyler said. "But Marc told me not to cut it. Not as long as we're winning."

Lately Jace and Tyler - so inseparable they shared the same sleeping quarters until college - have started thinking about the end of their college football odyssey. Ty says he's "getting old" because he can't seem to sleep past 6:30 in the morning. Last week in practice Jace mulled the finality of the 2009 season.

"You realize this train is going to stop somewhere," he said. "You have to enjoy what you have. I guess we're not the first ones to go through it and we won't be the last. It's just part of the whole cycle."

It's sad thinking about the inevitable. To consider that - as the aging ex-sheriff says in "No Country For Old Men" - you can't stop what's coming and it ain't all waiting on you.

But long after Ty and Jace Palmer have packed their Griz jerseys in the family attic, they'll still be close buddies. And I'll still remember these twin brothers for making it big - together.

Sports columnist Bill Speltz can be reached at 523-5255 or bill.speltz@lee.net.