St. Charles East grad Barry making most of his chance at ISU

When opportunity knocks, blast the door down.

That seemingly has been the approach adopted by St. Charles native Brannon Barry this month.

Barry, a 2014 graduate of St. Charles East High School, began the season as a reserve tight end for Illinois State University's nationally ranked football team.

The redshirt freshman caught the first pass of his collegiate career - a 3-yard reception from Naperville Central fellow freshman quarterback Jake Kolbe - late in the fourth quarter during the Redbirds' season-opening 31-14 loss to Big Ten power Iowa on Sept. 5 in Iowa City.

"It was exciting," said Barry. "It was great to catch the pass from another freshman against a Big Ten team."

Fast forward one month later and Barry found himself on the opposite side of the ball during the Redbirds' Oct. 3 Family Day clash with Northern Iowa.

"On the Tuesday before the game, the coaches told me to practice on the defensive line with the pass rush guys," said Barry. "The game plan worked to perfection for me."

On his first play as a defender, the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder sacked Northern Iowa quarterback Aaron Bailey for a 3-yard loss to end the Panthers' drive.

"I was lined up wide on the right side," said Barry. "The tackle set up really deep so I countered inside. I cut back in and was able to get to the quarterback."

It was just the start of a memorable day for Barry.

In 21 snaps, the defensive end finished with a game-high 3 sacks and an interception during the Redbirds' 21-13 victory over Northern Iowa.

"It was more like a team interception," said Barry. "Josh (Burch) did most of the work because he deflected the pass. I saw the ball coming and secured it with my body."

For his efforts, Barry earned Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Week honors and was an honorable mention selection as the NCAA FCS National Freshman of the Week.

"That was a lot of fun," said Barry, who also played baseball for SCE. "It was cool to play defense again. It felt great, especially coming at home."

The last time Barry lined up on the defensive side of the ball, he was a starting safety for the Saints during their first-round Class 8A state playoff loss to Stevenson.

One week after his electrifying performance against Northern Iowa, Barry added another key sack as the Redbirds (5-1) edged then-nationally ranked Youngstown State 31-29 on Oct. 10.

Last Saturday, Barry earned his first collegiate start at defensive end and recorded 2 tackles and another sack during Illinois State's 38-2 triumph over Missouri State in Springfield.

Despite playing defense in just 3 of the Redbirds' 6 games, Barry leads the team with 5 sacks. He has collected 8 tackles - 4 of them for loss of yardage.

In his first 2 games, Barry was used exclusively on third-down passing situations.

"Coach Spence (defensive coordinator Nowinsky) just told me that I was faster than a 300-pound (offensive) lineman," said Barry. "It's all about getting around the hoop or edge and driving through with my feet."

Barry also credited senior defensive end David Perkins for working with him on his technique after practices.

"Playing defense requires a ton of feel," he said. "It's a lot of footwork and hands."

Up until a couple weeks ago, Barry arrived at practice not knowing which side of the ball he would be working on.

"I'd open my locker and see if there was a red (defense) or white (offense) jersey there," said Barry, who also plays on special teams - all except field goal and field goal block.

Barry, who comes from an athletic background - his older brother, Bryce, played football at Butler while his older sisters, Erienne, played volleyball at Western Michigan and Boise State, and Alicia, played volleyball at St. Charles East - gained a ton of experience as a member of the Redbirds' travel squad last season.

"Watching the team go all the way to the (FCS) National Championship Game was unbelievable," Barry said of the Redbirds' squad that suffered a heartbreaking 29-27 loss to 4-time defending champion North Dakota State.

"It was great watching the older guys play for each other."

The 2014 team featured junior quarterback Tre Roberson and junior tailback Marshaun Coprich along with current NFL players Cam Meredith (Chicago Bears WR), James O'Shaugnessy (Kansas City TE) and Mike Liedtke (Kansas City OL).

"It was hard not to win games because that team was unreal," said Barry.

Illinois State, ranked third in the latest NCAA FCS rankings, plays its homecoming game Saturday afternoon against Western Illinois.

"We worked hard in high school but nothing like this," said Barry. "It's fun though. It's what I signed up for."

Craig Brueske can be reached at csb4k@hotmail.com.