The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com 3B — September 8, 2015 Harbaugh brings back helmet stickers to spark competition By ZACH SHAW Daily Sports Editor Everything Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has done since taking over the Michigan football team has been synonymous with competition. He wants his injured players to cut their recovery time in half, keeps score of his quarterbacks’ every move on and off the field to decide the starter and even pushed the Wolverines to get the annual team photo taken in under 10 minutes to set a “new record.” But on Sunday, Michigan officially brought back one of its longstanding competitive efforts, handing out helmet stickers after the team’s 24-17 loss to Utah. Once a staple during Bo Schembechler and Gary Moeller’s tenures as Michigan coaches, the stickers are used to not only reward good effort, but also to promote friendly competition among teammates. “I think it’s awesome,” said junior tight end Jake Butt. “It’s another way to create an environment of competition. They’re pretty sweet. We got them put on our helmet the other day ... I want my helmet to be decked out by the end of the season. “Everyone’s competing. You don’t want to be the guy with an empty helmet at the end of the year.” Butt, who had eight receptions for 93 yards and one score in the game, was second on the team with eight helmet stickers. Redshirt junior wide receiver Amara Darboh, who had eight catches for 101 yards and a touchdown, tallied nine. The scoring system, according to the two, is a mix of playing in a fixed percentage of the game, reaching individual and unit goals and showing mistake- free play when the game tape is reviewed. “Coach Harbaugh preaches competition from day one,” Darboh said. “When you go out on the field and do your job, you’ll be rewarded.” Though competition is the most obvious goal of the stickers’ use, Harbaugh noted on Monday that small mistakes proved to be the Wolverines’ downfall in the loss. Be it freshman receiver Grant Perry’s “not-precise” route running, Rudock’s fourth- quarter pick-six or false starts on the offensive line, Harbaugh felt his team was often out of sync, undermining its potential. By using video review to pinpoint the missed plays and assignments, Harbaugh hopes to put the emphasis not only on the big plays, but also on consistency throughout the game as well. “The precision of the unit has to be all 11 (Michigan players on the field),” Harbaugh said. “The times when we did have breakdowns (it was) one guy, one breakdown, one missed assignment ... (It) ended up being costly.” “But all of it is fixable, and that’s what we’re working hard to do.” NOTES: Harbaugh said that sophomore wide receiver Freddy Canteen and senior running back Drake Johnson are both in practice, but haven’t yet been cleared to play in Saturday’s game … After both were listed as starting quarterback last week, graduate transfer Jake Rudock was officially listed ahead of junior Shane Morris in Monday’s depth chart. ‘M’ finishes trip with two wins Wolverines earn first two victories of 2015 season By ALEX KHALIFEH Daily Sports Writer For the past three years, the Michigan field hockey team has dropped its early-season matchups against North Carolina and Wake Forest in the ACC/ Big Ten Challenge. In those seasons, Michigan was able to bounce back and ring up consecutive victories after its unsucessful start. Like previous seasons, the Wolverines dropped their first two games against the Tar Heels and the Demon Deacons a week ago. Once again, Michigan recovered for two straight wins at Providence and Fairfield. The Wolverines defeated the Friars (0-4) on Friday, 1-0. Despite the win, it seemed Michigan (2-2) was in a bit of a dry spell offensively. Its offense had six shots on goal against Providence, and through three games, the Wolverines had found the back of the net just twice. But the offensive stagnation disappeared Sunday, when Michigan shut out the Stags (1-2) in a 4-0 victory. “As you go along on the season, you start figuring out combinations and people start getting into a rhythm,” said Michigan coach Marcia Pankratz. “It was really nice seeing some of the goal-scoring threats from a multitude of players.” A variety of players made an impact in the Wolverines’ victory, as senior backfielder Lauren Thomas, senior forward Shannon Scavelli, junior forward Courtney Enge and freshman forward Emma Way all aided in the scoring punch. Both wins were highlighted by two goalies — sophomore Sam Swenson and redshirt junior Chris Lueb. Sunday, the goalkeeping duo combined for four saves, with Swenson tallying five saves on the weekend, including two off a Friars’ penalty corner in the first half. “The team feels really confident with either (Swenson or Lueb) in the goal cage,” Pankratz said. “They’re smart, working hard and they organize their defense.” On the offensive side, Enge proved to be a difference- maker. She scored the lone goal Friday, and kicked off the scoring against Fairfield. “(Enge) is one of the fastest players in the Big Ten,” Pankratz said. “She’s always been quite dangerous with her speed, and now she’s adding being dangerous as a goal scoring threat. Both of those goals were beautiful tip-ins off the right post. I was really glad to see her contribute.” Following their slow start to the season, the Wolverines were able to click when it mattered most, mustering 10 and 12 shots in each of their respective games. “In every game, every part of the field — forward, midfield, defense — connection is the No. 1 thing,” Enge said. “The chemistry is there, it’s just going to increase as the season goes by.” FOOTBALL ‘M’ fan turnout strong at Utah By MAX COHEN Managing Sports Editor SALT LAKE CITY — In the eight months since Jim Har- baugh was hired as the football coach at Michigan, the Wolver- ine fan base has showered him with nearly unconditional love, the kind reserved for a former quarterback returned home. But this week, one fan took his devo- tion to the next level. Ross Mitton, a Michigan fan from Windsor, Ontario, Canada, drove 26 hours, starting Mon- day, to see Harbaugh’s Wolverine coaching debut in Salt Lake City on Thursday night. His ride? A converted ambulance plastered with Michigan-related images that he purchased in February 2014. Mitton calls it his Mbu- lance. Mitton, a 62-year-old finan- cial adviser, worked with a graphic designer to deck out the vehicle. Both sides of the back of the ambulance are covered by images of Michigan Stadium. Bo Schembechler’s “The team, the team, the team,” quote is scrawled across the top of one side of the van; “Those who stay will be champions” is written on the back door. References to Mitton’s Cana- dian heritage are all over the Mbulance. A maize and blue Canadian flag marked his tailgate spot, and he wears a shirt that says “The Blue Loonies,” a refer- ence to the Canadian coin and the nickname that Mitton and many of his Canadian friends who are Michigan fans have given them- selves. “Go blue, eh!” is written on one side opposite Schembechler’s “The team” quote. “Some guys have sports cars, some guys have girlfriends, this is my hobby,” said Mitton, who is married. Many of the holdovers from the vehicle’s time as an ambu- lance remain, but now have the Michigan logo on them, such as the ambulance’s jump seat next to the side door which has maize and blue padding. Mitton replaced the ambulance’s oxygen tank with a keg. He jokes that he replaced one lifesaving device with another. Mitton had long been con- sidering the trip to Utah for the season opener, but Harbaugh’s hiring last December sealed the deal. He estimated that more than 300 people, many Michi- gan fans, stopped by his tailgate Thursday. “When Harbaugh was hired, it was like, ‘Yeah, OK, we’re going,” Mitton said. Even Utah fans participated in the Harbaugh love. Student Emran Behashti roamed the parking lot before the game, dressed in an outfit that mim- icked Harbaugh’s, albeit with a Utah hat. He wore what he called a Harbaugh sweater vest, a pen hanging from his neck, Nike shoes, a headset and, of course, khakis purchased at Walmart. Behashti carried a mock play- book with him as well that contained numerous messages pertaining to the game, some of which are unprintable. Behashti aimed to have fun with his outfit, adding that he wasn’t really sure how he felt about Harbaugh. “I do and I don’t,” Behashti said when asked if he liked Har- baugh. He was disappointed that Har- baugh once benched former Ute Alex Smith when he coached the San Francisco 49ers. He said that outweighed the fact that Smith reached the Super Bowl with Harbaugh as his coach. But of course, Michigan fans were most excited to see Har- baugh. Dan Fitzgerald, a Michi- gan alum who graduated in 2005, tailgated with Mitton before the game. Most of his friends couldn’t make it to the game, so he decided to make the trip from Michigan alone. “I was like, ‘I can’t miss this,’ ” Fitzgerald said. ALLISON FARRAND/Daily Redshirt junior wide receiver Amara Darboh led Michigan with 10 helmet stickers — given for playing time or mistake-free play — from Thursday’s game. “I want my helmet to be decked out.” FIELD HOCKEY PROVIDENCE MICHIGAN 0 1 FAIRFIELD MICHIGAN 0 4 SportsTuesday