The Michigan Daily article on the spring game.

http://www.michigandaily.com/sports/pasta-or-steak-incentives-add-extra-flair-spring-game

Pasta or steak? Incentives add extra flair to Spring Game

By MAX COHEN, Managing Sports Editor
Published April 4, 2015

The man of the moment for the Michigan football program spent much of the team’s Spring Game staying out of the way. Jim Harbaugh hovered about 20 yards behind the line of scrimmage on each play, his hands either on his hips or his knees as the pen he wore around his neck dangled in the wind.

His interaction with his players was limited. He walked toward the line of scrimmage between plays, sometimes to peek into the conversation in the huddle, other times to offer his players words of encouragement. Redshirt freshman defensive end Lawrence Marshall said Harbaugh hardly communicated with the defensive line at all.

Harbaugh aimed to stay impartial throughout the contest, purposefully refraining from contributing to the discussions that planned the numerous trick plays attempted during the game. The intensity fans have come to expect from Harbaugh was largely absent. The vast majority of plays elicited little reaction from the hyper-competitive head coach.

That wasn’t the case for his players. Redshirt freshman safety Jabrill Peppers jumped up and down, flapping his arms in frustration after a missed interception in the second quarter. When junior quarterback Shane Morris threw the game’s only touchdown to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Jaron Dukes, the offense’s celebration would have been worthy of a regular-season game.

The excitement was not without cause. Increasing the competitiveness of his players has been a focus of the early portion of Harbaugh’s tenure. And just like everything else Harbaugh has done throughout the spring, the Spring Game contained extra incentive. For its postgame meal, the winning team received steak, while the losing team would have to settle for pasta.

The motivational ploys of Harbaugh’s staff throughout the spring have been well documented. At the end of every practice, either the offense or the defense emerges as the winner. The winning side runs gassers, while the losing team is forced to sit and watch. Though the players were intrigued by Harbaugh’s methodology at first, they quickly bought in.

“You have to buy in, and when you buy in, it shows on the field like it did today,” Marshall said.

Marshall, who recorded a thumping sack of Morris in the game’s second quarter, wore a gray sweatshirt with the moniker “Ball Hawk” across the front to his postgame media presser. It was emblematic of an another incentive for the Wolverine defense.

“In practice, you knock the ball down, you rush the passer, cause a fumble — you get one of these shirts,” Marshall said.

The sweatshirts were defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin’s idea. When a defensive player makes a play in practice like the ones Marshall described, the coaching staff makes a point of recognizing him in front of his teammates.

The extra incentives have even been effective with the team’s older players. Fifth-year senior linebacker Desmond Morgan said he has earned multiple sweatshirts.

“It kind of pushes you a little bit harder to focus on some of those things that maybe if it wasn’t recognized as much you wouldn’t notice or pay attention to as much,” Morgan said.

When Saturday’s defensive struggle ended, it was once again time to celebrate the winners. Morris threw his arms up into the air as he made his way off the field. Harbaugh offered brief congratulations to the winning coach, offensive coordinator Tim Drevno, before running into the tunnel alone.

Dinner was waiting, and the winning team was ready to receive its due. It had been all day.

“I made sure I ate enough spaghetti this morning so I didn’t have to eat it later on,” Dukes said.