Safety Bradyn Smith (left) and cornerback J.J. Ross made improved chemistry in the secondary a big off-season priority for Western Illinois. (Photo by Barry Bottino, PrairieStatePigskin.com)
By Barry Bottino
When Western Illinois safety Bradyn Smith became a starter last November, he bonded right away with veteran cornerback J.J. Ross.
“He was on the boundary (side of the field), and I was too,” said Smith, a senior from Springfield’s Sacred Heart-Griffin High School. “That’s when it started.”
What began as Smith starting two games alongside Ross in the secondary late last season became an off-season of building chemistry.
“That was a big focus with me and him in the off-season,” Smith said. “Just getting work in, watching film together and being on the same page. That’s a big thing for this defense. I think the chemistry is so much better. Not just between me and J.J. Better chemistry has been a big goal of ours. I think it’s showing on the field.”
Through two games, Smith leads the Missouri Valley Football Conference and ranks fourth in the nation with 13.5 tackles per game. He is one of only 12 MVFC players to have forced a fumble this season.
Ross ranks 13th in the conference with 6.5 tackles.
In Saturday’s loss to Illinois State, Smith had a career-high 14 tackles and forced one of three fumbles that the Leathernecks recovered.
“You can tell how much of an emphasis we are trying to put on getting takeaways on defense,” WIU head coach Myers Hendrickson said. “It’s just the way we got the ball out (Saturday) and were hyper focused on getting the ball back.
“We’re seeing progress and we’re seeing good things defensively.”
WIU opponents have scored nine touchdowns of 20 yards or longer in their first two games.
Those big plays have been troubling, but the issue is fixable, according to Smith.
“We’re not all perfect. Something bad is bound to happen,” Smith said. “We’re going to make mistakes. We’ve just got to make sure they don’t happen again. You just can’t allow those big plays. Our offense is doing really well. This is on us.”
Smith noticed improvements Saturday is how the Leathernecks tackled.
“That’s something we got better at this week,” he said. “You could tell that from Week 1 to Week 2.”
Hendrickson credited his defense with expanding the amount of good plays it has made this season as the Leathernecks (0-2) try to snap their current 15-game losing streak, which dates back to 2021.
“You can play really good football for long stretches of time, and we did that,” he said. “We’re so close.”
Barry Bottino is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin and a 19-year veteran of three Illinois newspapers. He has covered college athletics since 1995.
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