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  Saturday, Sep. 11 12:10pm ET
No. 5 Wolverines dominate mistake-prone Rice
 
  RECAP

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- Michigan was simply too much for Rice. The Wolverines were bigger, stronger, faster and deeper, especially at quarterback.

 Anthony Thomas
Michigan's Anthony Thomas ran for 87 yards and two scores against Rice.

Drew Henson, perhaps gaining a step in Michigan's quarterback race, scored one touchdown and passed for another in a 37-3 romp over the Owls on Saturday.

Anthony Thomas ran for 87 yards and two touchdowns and Jeff Del Verne, a walk-on who received a scholarship earlier in the week, kicked three field goals for Michigan (2-0).

Rice (0-2), giving away nearly 40 pounds per man, never had the ball in Michigan territory until late in the fourth quarter when the Owls drove 56 yards for Derek Crabtree's 33-yard field goal with 30 seconds remaining.

"There is no way to prepare for their size and defensive talent," Rice coach Ken Hatfield said. "You just can't prepare for size like that."

The Owls, who lost their opener 28-3 to Houston, have yet to score a touchdown.

"Our offense needs to get it done, and right now we just aren't," right tackle Aaron Sandoval said. "That's our foremost concern as a team. The offense has just got to pick it up."

Michigan (No. 5 ESPN/USA Today, No. 6 AP) rolled up 356 yards, while holding the Owls to 157.

Henson, a gifted sophomore who spends his summers playing third base in the New York Yankees' farm system, has battled fifth-year senior Tom Brady for the job since the start of training camp. Brady, who started and played three quarters in the opener against Notre Dame, started against the Owls, too.

Brady completed 10 of 15 passes for 115 yards, while Henson was 8-of-14 for 109 yards. But it was Henson who got the Wolverines in the end zone.

Henson entered the game with 34 seconds left in the first quarter and, rolling to his left, fired a 34-yard strike to David Terrell on his first snap. That gave Michigan a first down at the Rice 30 and appeared to be the spark the lackluster Wolverines needed. Seven plays later, Henson dove into the end zone from 1 yard out for a 10-0 lead.

Late the second quarter, Henson completed 3 of 4 passes for 41 yards, capping an eight-play, 53-yard drive with a 14-yard touchdown toss to Terrell for a 20-0 lead.

Still, coach Lloyd Carr -- who has said all along he doesn't want a two-quarterback system -- wasn't tipping his hand.

"Well, I like the way they both played," Carr said. "If you look at their stats, they were about even.

"You know, Ken Hatfield has been in the game 22 years, and he talked to me before the game. He said, 'Lloyd, you've got a wonderful situation there.' And, indeed, I do."

Rice, which lost five of eight fumbles in an opening loss to Houston, was hurt by more mistakes against the Wolverines, giving up two interceptions and a blocked punt, along with losing one of four fumbles.

"Turning the ball over really upsets me," Hatfield said. "We simply can't do that and win."

Grady Brooks came up with Chad Richardson's fumble early in the third quarter. Nine plays later, Thomas scored on an 11-yard run for a 27-0 Michigan lead.

Marquise Walker blocked a punt by Rice's Travis Hale a few minutes later and Brandon Williams returned it eight yards to the Owls' 4. Thomas punched it in on the next play for a 34-0 Michigan lead.

Del Verne accounted for the rest of the scoring with field goals of 24, 38 and 30 yards.

Michigan, almost flawless in the opener against Notre Dame, couldn't maintain the same intensity for the Owls.

"We knew what we had to do," flanker Marquise Walker said. "There was a little downfall, but I think everybody got up at game time."

The Wolverines, who drew only four penalties for 29 yards against Notre Dame, were flagged four times in the first quarter alone. Three were for false starts on offense and one for an illegal block that wiped out DiAllo Johnson's 16-yard punt return.

"I was unhappy with the penalties," Carr said. "That's a lack of concentration. We played hard, but there wasn't a lot of emotion in the football team."

Johnson had a 21-yard return spoiled by a penalty in the second quarter, but the Wolverines overcame that mistake with Henson's scoring pass to Terrell.

The Wolverines also had trouble finishing off drives at times, settling for field goals instead of touchdowns.

Brady drove them to the Rice 22, where the Wolverines went for it on fourth-and-3, but Thomas gained only one yard on an off-tackle dive. On his second drive, Brady drove Michigan 54 yards to the Rice 7, but a third-down pass was incomplete and the Wolverines settled for Del Verne's first field goal.

A 29-yard interception return by Cato June gave Michigan the ball at the Rice 16 early in the fourth quarter. But the Wolverines passed on a field goal attempt and failed to make a first down.

This was the 150th consecutive game with more than 100,000 fans in Michigan Stadium. The crowd of 110,501 was the largest ever for Rice. The largest crowd to see the Owls before this was 93,479 at Ohio Stadium in 1996.

 


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AUDIO/VIDEO
 Anthony Thomas rumbles into the end zone for the Wolverines.
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