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ANN ARBOR, Michigan (Ticker) -- Chris Perry rushed for 184 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries as seventh-ranked Michigan tuned up for next week's showdown against Notre Dame with a 50-3 rout of Houston.
Perry, who ran for a career-high 232 yards last week against Central Michigan, scored on TD runs of one yard in the first quarter and eight yards in the third quarter.
Michigan (2-0) has won its first two games by a combined 95-10 score after beating Central Michigan, 45-7, last week.
"The running backs were more patient," Perry said. "Last week I hopped outside a little too quick. This time, I stayed back until the hole opened."
John Navarre completed just 13-of-30 passes for 136 yards and a TD for Michigan, but became the school's all-time leader in career completions. Navarre has 527 completions, surpassing Elvis Grbac's previous mark of 527.
"The record is just a bonus of the talent that's around me and that I've been playing here for four years," Navarre said.
The Wolverines rolled up 536 yards of total offense, including 392 on the ground, while holding Houston to just 138. Michigan gained 615 yards last week.
Houston was coming off a 48-14 win over Rice in Art Briles' debut as coach.
"They (Michigan) threw about 50 years of tradition at us," Briles said. "They are big and strong and physical. We had zero field position, mostly because of Michigan's defense."
"I was pleased with the way our defense played," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr added. "The coaches did a wonderful job preparing for difficults schemes."
David Underwood also surpassed the century mark for Michigan, rushing for 108 yards on 11 carries, including a five-yard TD in the first quarter. Garrett Rivas added field goals of 43 and 38 yards in the first half as the Wolverines opened a 22-0 lead at the intermission.
Kevin Kolb completed 15-of-30 passes for just 64 yards for the Cougars. He also rushed 13 times for a net of minus-nine yards.
Houston managed only 74 yards on the ground on 28 carries. Vincent Marshall was the Cougars' leading rusher, gaining 36 yards on his only attempt.
"They didn't turn the ball over," Briles added. "We didn't create any breaks and they didn't give us any. They've been hearing all week about their defense being poor, but that was the media talking to fire them up."
With star defensive back Marlin Jackson returning to the lineup, Michigan allowed only Dustin Bell's 42-yard field goal in the third quarter. Jackson was suspended for last week's game after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge over the summer.
Houston's defense held Michigan somewhat in check in the first half, but the Wolverines turned the game into a rout with three touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
Navarre threw an eight-yard TD pass to Braylon Edwards and backup Pierre Rembert scored on TD runs of 18 and five yards in the final period.
Michigan went three-and-out on its first three possessions, but Jackson's fumble recovery and a 15-yard penalty against Houston, gave the Wolverines possession at the Cougars 24.
Perry carried all five times on the ensuing drive, reaching the end zone with 5:15 left in the first quarter. The Wolverines stretched their lead to 15-0 on a safety and two field goals before they got into the end zone again on Underwood's score.
"The turnover we caused early was a big turning point," Carr said. "Our offense was struggling. The key was up front (with the running game)."
"Anytime one part of the offense is struggling, the other part has to pick it up," Perry added. "Last year, the running game struggled and the passing game picked us up."
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