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ANN ARBOR, Michigan (Ticker) -- Michigan Stadium continues to be Purdue's least favorite venue in the Big Ten Conference. B.J. Askew scored on a pair of short touchdown runs as No. 12 Michigan stretched its home winning streak over the Boilermakers to 15 games with a 24-10 victory. Purdue, which has not won at the "Big House" since 1966, was denied its first 5-0 start in 56 years. "I think the best way to win in this conference is to have a good defense," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "This is the way I like to win football games, playing defense and running the football." The Boilermakers (4-1, 2-1 Big Ten) are known for their fourth-quarter prowess. But Michigan held Purdue to a field goal after Brandon Hance tossed a seven-yard touchdown pass to Tim Stratton to give the Boilermakers a 7-0 lead five minutes into the first quarter. "They made a couple big plays in that (first) drive but what makes me proud of this defense is that we don't get down," Michigan defensive end Jake Frysinger said. "We just made adjustments. We had to mix it up a little bit up front. Once we figured out what they were doing, we had to get Hance to move out of the pocket. We just settled down." Michigan (5-1, 3-0) kept Purdue's offense off the field by stringing together a pair of 15-play drives in the second half that consumed more than seven and six minutes, respectively. The Boilermakers also were their own worst enemy with 15 penalties for 105 yards. In last season's 32-31 victory over Michigan, Purdue committed just two penalties. "I told our team when you play a good football team, the margin of error is reduced," Purdue coach Joe Tiller said. "You can't shoot yourself in the foot like we did. I don't think I've ever seen in my entire career as many offensive penalties in a game as we had." Purdue was held to just 57 yards on the ground after collecting 244 yards last season. Montrell Lowe ran for 126 yards on 22 carries in last year's game, but was limited to just 22 yards on nine attempts on Saturday. "This whole season has been a statement of how far we've come since last year on defense," Frysinger said. "We just have so much fun playing defense. We enjoy going out there and getting a chance to do our thing." Hance could not explain Purdue's struggles on offense following the first drive. Many of the penalties were for not having enough men on the line of scrimmage. "I can't pinpoint the reason," said Hance, who completed 16-of-33 passes for 198 yards. "We had a lot of intensity. We were hyped up and jumping around, then the ref told us to move the huddle back. We never saw the penalties. We knew coming in here after having beaten them last year, we needed to match their intensity." The Wolverines tied it on Askew's three-yard TD run 1:54 into the second period and grabbed a 14-7 lead on John Navarre's 43-yard TD pass to Marquise Walker with 8:52 left in the quarter. Walker grabbed seven passes for 134 yards and also returned seven punts for 112 yards, the third-hightest total in Michigan history. "He can make all the catches," Carr said. "He runs good routes and is disciplined. I don't think anybody in the country has been more important to his team that Marquise Walker has been to ours." "When they do double him up, we have plays to get him open," added Navarre, who completed 21-of-27 passes for 233 yards for the Wolverines. "A lot of it is in the play calling, but he works hard to get open, too." Travis Dorsch kicked a 45-yard field goal with 3:55 left in the first half to pull Purdue within 14-10 at the intermission. But Michigan dominated the second half and took a 21-10 lead with 4:44 left in the third on a one-yard run by Askew, who rushed for 63 yards on 16 carries. The Boilermakers had a chance to take the lead, driving into Michigan territory on its first possession, but Seth Morales fumbled after making a reception at the Wolverines 29. Michigan held to the ball for 7:48 before stretching its lead on Askew's second touchdown. The Wolverines missed a chance for another touchdown when they called for a false start on 4th-and-1 from the 4. They settled for a 26-yard field goal and a 24-10 lead with 5:44 remaining in the contest. Stuart Schweigert returned it 58 yards to the Michigan 36, but Dorsch had a 57-yard field goal blocked on the final play of the half.
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