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By David Boyce  |  Northwest Missouri at Missouri Southern State  |  Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016  |  6 p.m.  |  Fred G. Hughes Stadium - Joplin, Mo.
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MARYVILLE, Mo. - A little over two hours before kickoff for a road game, Northwest Missouri State football coach Adam Dorrel sees a look in the players' eyes. Some put their head phones on to help them get to that place where they are totally focused on the opponent.
 
No doubt, Dorrel is confident his Bearcats will once again get to that place before facing Missouri Southern 6 p.m. Saturday at Fred Hughes Stadium in Joplin, Mo.
 
Sure, the No. 1 ranked Bearcats are off to a 3-0 start and have outscored its opponents 134-28, while Missouri Southern is 0-3 and has been outscored 45-122. Northwest, though, understands it has to play better or it could get beat.
 
"Our big focus this week is to focus on us," Dorrel said. "We have identified three things, offense, defense and special teams that we feel we are not where we want to be right now.
 
"The No. 1 thing for the whole team is pre-snap penalties. We had two defensive offside and three false starts last week. That is unacceptable. It is going to cost us a game one of these times. That is a huge focus this week in practice."
 
Reducing penalties in their next game was a point of emphasis for the Bearcats this week in practice.
 
Still, you can apply an old-time phrase to these Bearcats: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
 
The 2016 Bearcats are not dull. They like to have fun. When they get on the bus Friday and head south towards Joplin, they will enjoy being part of a team. The only aspect that might cause concern for Dorrel is the movie the players select to watch on the bus.
 
"We've watched Slap Shot and Caddyshack," Dorrel said. "They pick movies from the 80s all the way to these new Sci-Fi movies. It is democracy, a show of hands for what movie we are watching.
 
"We have fun. School is done for the week. Practice is done. It is fun to see them decompress. I'm not one of those guys where you don't laugh. We like to laugh. The thing I appreciate is we can do it the right way."
 
And once the Bearcats are settled in at the hotel, some will hit the whirlpool and others will take a dip in the swimming pool.
 
"It is really fun," said Northwest senior wide receiver George Sehl. "We don't take this time for granted. You only get so many years of eligibility. You want to have fun with it."
 
Sehl is an example of a player who is all business once the National Anthem is played and the game begins. After playing one season at Iowa Western Community College, he transferred to Northwest and has been making important catches for the Bearcats since 2014.
 
"George was a junior college guy because he chose to be one," Dorrel said. "We recruited him hard out of high school. We really liked him."
 
Like most Bearcats, Sehl has improved each season. In 2014, he caught 27 passes for 306 yards and three touchdowns. Last year, Sehl finished with 32 receptions for 551 yards and seven touchdowns, earning him honorable mention All-MIAA. Through three games this season, he has caught eight passes for 139 yards and three touchdowns.
 
Early on, Sehl knew he was at the right place to complete his collegiate football career.
 
"I liked all the players and coaches," Sehl said. "This is a good place. Everyone gets along. The way we play together, work together is a real special thing."
 
Last year Sehl was able to experience a magical season when few thought Northwest was one of the top teams in Division II.
 
"It was unbelievable," Sehl said. "It wasn't a whole lot of people who thought we could go undefeated and win a national championship. We kept the same positive thoughts in our minds and we continued to work every day and push each other all summer long and it went into the season."
 
The same positive vibe is present this season. Sehl is part of a senior class that learned plenty from the upperclassmen before them and are applying those lessons this season.
 
One of the main traits for the sustained success is unselfishness. Sehl, Shawn Bane Jr. and Dre Washington, all have the talent to make eight or more receptions in a game. Most times they get three to five because the offense is spread around to at least eight skill position players.
 
"It is a big reason why we are successful as an offense," Sehl said. "Not the same guys are going to have all the yards and not the same guys are going to have all the touchdowns. It is distributed pretty evenly.
 
"Football is the ultimate team sport. You can't just rely on one guy. All 11 guys have to do their job every single play. You do that by playing smart and playing hard and that leads to big things."
 
Sehl hopes big things happen for the Bearcats against Missouri Southern. He is excited for Northwest's next football test under the lights.
 
"Anytime you get to play a night game it is a fun time," Sehl said. "We can't overlook any team in the MIAA. We just got to have a good week of preparation and good week in the film room and then have the confidence to go out and perform Saturday."