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Looking back at the SEMU game, I made the observation that the sloppiness etc. mentioned in another thread was EXACTLY what the coaches need to keep this team focused.
What we DIDN'T need was the "PERFECT GAME", i.e. no errors, few penalties etc. to make the kids think we're better than we really are. Think about it ...a solid effort against the #2 team in nation, followed by a bigger blowout of SEMU might've allowed for a bit of complacency to creep in.
Now, the coaches have plenty of "fodder" to yell about and create focus on... 1st team's lack of red zone finishing, backups sloppiness and curious decision making etc. btw, it was great to see that nearly 70 players saw playing time by my rough count on the "participation list". And I was also surprised at the number of true freshmen who saw action, hence no plans to redshirt. Usually means our recruiting last year was pretty solid. 8)

Great points. I am sure that this coaching staff will always find things to work on, and with a longer break before NIU, they'll get the job done and get this team hitting on all cylinders.

I guess I'm not in the sloppiness is "good" camp because it gives the coaches something to yell about and get players motivated. This team should need very little motivation for the NIU game. The game will be on ESPN or ESPN2 on a Friday night when they will be the only college game on TV. That should be enough to make anyone want to work hard to impress a national audience. However if that's not enough, then throw in the fact that this first MAC game has MACC ramifications written all over it. Instead, I think the "sloppiness" seen Saturday was a function of taking the offense out for a test drive. You use a game like this to try new things to see what works and what doesn't. This game allows Omar and the rest of the team the chance to get a tune-up for the MAC season that didn't require "perfection".

As a further clarification, I realize that not every play in the game was "testing things out", but were "bread and butter" plays that should be executed with perfection. This type of sloppiness, i.e. dropping passes, missing blocks and wrong pass reads, are the types of sloppiness that are inexcusable and need to be perfected. This type of sloppiness is what drives coaches crazy. This is not a good thing to miss blocks or drop passes, but in terms of coaching, it will give the coaches something to help keep the players focused for two weeks.

UK,
I didn't mean that I thought the sloppy play at times was GOOD in the context of the game...only that it gives the coaches fodder to use with the kids...and we are dealing with 18-21 yr. olds here...who just MIGHT think they're better than they really are... that said, you're right in that the NIU game should bring out the best in the Falcons.
They should ANTICIPATE the crowd problems they had 2 yrs. ago, thunderstix etc. and NOT be surprised (or even intimidated a bit) as they were 2 yrs. ago. And after playing in the Shoe and Purdue last yr. and OK. this yr., I would expect to see a much more poised team.
But, as a former coach, I know I always looked for some of the BAD things done by my team after a big win, simply to point out how much better we could've done. I do think that helps the kids to stabilize a bit and realize how much better THEY as individuals could play. That, of course, is a big part of what film study is all about.
I remember talking to Daniel Sayles after the Purdue game last yr. and commenting that I thought it was the best game I'd seen him play..his response? "thank you sir, but I missed 2 tackles out there today". I was impressed to say the least... (no one ever calls me sir).