Perry Burge wasn’t supposed to play this season.

The freshman defensive end from Bolingbrook was supposed to use his first year at Eastern conditioning – getting bigger and stronger in the weight room.

“Before Ryan Bennett got hurt we were kind of hoping we could get through the year without having to use him – to give him a red-shirt year and a year to develop,” Eastern defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni said.

But Bellantoni said the lack of production from the Panthers’ second-string defensive line coupled with Bennett’s broken leg meant Burge needed to play because he was having success against the Panthers’ offensive line during practice while a member of Eastern’s scout team defense.

“It just got to the point where we couldn’t waste him away on the scout team anymore,” Bellantoni said. “He had to be out there on gameday making plays for us.”

Burge said Eastern’s coaching staff told him he was “ripping the o-line a new one,” and his efforts at practice were the reason he moved up the depth chart.

Burge did not play in the Panthers’ first two games against Central Michigan and Illinois.

Following Eastern’s 47-21 loss to the Fighting Illini on Sept. 6, however, Bellantoni said Burge came to him asking to play.

“He said, ‘Coach, I don’t want to stand on the sideline watching my team lose anymore,'” Bellantoni said. “I was like, ‘Thank you, because I was going to come to you today to ask you if you wanted to play.'”

Burge said watching his team lose hurt, especially when he felt like he could contribute on defense.

Burge got his chance to play against Indiana State on Sept. 13.

He had three tackles including one-and-a-half for a loss.

He has seven tackles this season through four games played including three tackles for a loss in addition to one pass deflection.

Eastern red-shirt senior defensive end Pierre Walters has become Burge’s mentor on the defensive line. Burge said it was nerve-wrecking when he first started playing, but he said Walters told him all he had to do was prove himself.

“That’s really all I’ve been trying to do is prove myself and go out there and go as hard as I can every play,” Burge said.

Burge’s speed has been recognized.

“We call him a little missile because he’s always going 100 mph,” Walters said. “Right now I’m just trying to teach him as much as I can.”

Bellantoni said Burge has made some freshman mistakes, but he has also been making plays on the field.

Bellantoni said Burge (6-foot-2, 225 pounds) would be outmatched physically sometimes if facing a tight end and tackle combination block.

However, Bellantoni said Burge’s speed and pass rush ability would make up for that size mismatch.

“He’s got a really good motor,” Bellantoni said. “He’s going to make up for some of the mistakes just by playing hard and making some plays.”

That hard work and playmaking ability could draw some comparisons to his brother, Tristan, who was an All-American strong safety at Eastern from 2003-06.

Bellantoni said Perry and Tristan are similar because they both have the same strong work ethic, but Bellantoni said Perry is trying to make a name for himself at Eastern.

“He doesn’t want to just be Tristan’s brother,” Bellantoni said. “I think that’s a big driving force behind his motivation to do well.

He wants to prove that he’s here because he can make plays and not because he’s someone’s brother.”

Bellantoni is not the only person to recognize the similarities between the Burge brothers.

Walters said both Burges have good football instincts and are both smart football players.

“They catch on to the game quickly,” Walters said. “Especially with (Perry) being a freshman and all the stuff that’s been thrown at him – all the plays and techniques – he’s taking it well.”

Tristan said Perry was in the weight room or running constantly at Bolingbrook High School, and Perry also picked up on his work ethic when he came to Eastern to train when Tristan was still playing.

“Our mentality is the same,” Perry said. “We always go as hard as we can and try to make the plays that come our way. I learned everything from him.”

Tristan said he is not surprised Perry is making plays because he saw his younger brother make plays throughout his entire senior year of high school.

“I expect it out of him,” Tristan said. “When he doesn’t make a play, I jump on him worse than anybody. That’s kind of bad on my behalf because he is a freshman. (The coaches) just expect you to be disruptive. The plays you do make are extra.”

Perry said he loves to have his brother roaming the sideline during his games even if he makes a mistake and has to come back to a less-than-pleased older brother.

“He’s like, ‘What’s wrong with you?'” Perry joked about Tristan’s reaction to a missed play. “It makes me go that much harder knowing that he’s watching me, and if I make a mistake he’s going to be on me.”

But Tristan said it is just a gratifying feeling to watch his brother play on the same field he did. He said Perry’s decision to choose Eastern was one he made on his own but was a decision Tristan said he was hoping would not go one way.

“It was a decision between Illinois State and Eastern,” Tristan said. “I never tried to sway his mind in any way. But I would have hated for him to choose Illinois State.”

Scott Richey can be reached at 581-7944 or at srrichey@eiu.edu.

Freshman defensive end Perry Burge breaks through a group of Jacksonville State players during the game on Sept. 27 at O’Brien Stadium. Burge has seven tackles on the season, three of which are solo tackles.(Karolina Strack

(more…)