Coffey, Batavia light up DeKalb

In one way, Batavia was running a fancy new-age offense throughout the first half on Friday in DeKalb.

The Bulldogs lined up in a no-huddle spread formation with two receivers split on either side for much of the half with either one running back or sometimes none and everyone in a passing pattern.

But in another way, this pass-happy offense took football back to its backyard roots. Quarterback Jordan Coffey called all the plays in those first 24 minutes. The results were more than impressive. Batavia rolled to a 40-6 halftime edge and broke the Barbs in a 53-14 Western Sun Conference victory at NIU's Huskie Stadium.

"We just wanted to come out and air it out and see what we could do," Coffey said. "We've been focusing on the running game and we wanted to see what we could do with the passing game against these guys."

Coffey was 18-of-19 in that first half for 256 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also ran in a pair of touchdowns in a dominant performance.

"I don't think Coach (Mike Gaspari) called a single play," Coffey said. "We were making up plays in the huddle. We were just having fun playing football for that first half."

Coffey stood in shotgun formation throughout the half. He had plenty of time to find his open receivers thanks to solid blocking by the line. Coffey finished the game 19-of-21 for 286 yards.

"We know (DeKalb) blitzed a lot, and they blitzed a lot tonight," Batavia center Alex Berg said. "We practiced that a lot. It's all about communication on the O-line and we kept talking. We got our job done, and that's really all you have to say. We got it done."

Pass blocking puts a different kind of pressure on an offensive line as opposed to run blocking, where the line fires off the line of scrimmage to open holes.

"You've got to sit back and wait," Berg said. "It's like you have to let the defense decide what they want to do and then you decide what to do with them. You've got to be smart and be ready."

With all the time in the world, Coffey hit a series of wide open receivers. He completed his first 14 passes before throwing an interception. Erich Zeddies caught 4 passes for 71 yards and 2 touchdowns.

"The (artificial) turf is unbelievable," Zeddies said. "I love being on the turf. It's so much easier to make the cuts. It's faster and quicker. But we were running great routes and (Coffey) was really throwing the ball well to us."

Friday's win ensures Batavia (6-2, 5-1) will play in the postseason this year. The Bulldogs also have a chance to claim a share of the conference title with a win over Geneva in the regular season finale.

"The way I started my first six years, I'll never take (the playoffs) for granted," Batavia coach Mike Gaspari said. "They're used to winning here now. But as their coach, I'll never take it for granted because were on right where DeKalb is today. I'll never forget being there."

DeKalb (1-7, 1-5) lost its fourth straight ballgame.