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And we learned a cool Brees is no match for a nasty windstorm called the Michigan Wolverines.

"We came in wanting to play our best game of the season," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said after the Wolverines halted Purdue's 10-game winning streak 38-12. "I think we did that."

At their best, the Wolverines certainly are not Central Florida, Notre Dame, Central Michigan or Northwestern -- the patsies the Boilermakers picked apart while beginning the season 4-0, their best start since 1967. With an aggressive defense that is starting to look more and more like the group that led them to a national championship two seasons ago, the No. 4 Wolverines (5-0 overall, 2-0 Big Ten) appear to be serious contenders again.

As for the Boilermakers and quarterback Drew Brees -- benefactors of a soft schedule recently -- perhaps undertested and overrated fit best.

Brees, sacked just once in his previous four starts, was drilled for a loss twice and knocked to the muddy turf at least another half-dozen times. After going 32-of-50 for 405 yards and three touchdowns in last week's 31-23 victory over Northwestern, the reigning Big Ten offensive player of the year couldn't overcome the pressure and was 20-of-49 for 293 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Brees' lone highlight came when he hooked up with receiver Jimmy Sutherland for a 66-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter.

"We knew they were good," Brees said. "But we had our opportunities and didn't take advantage of them."

The Wolverines' bend-don't-break defense -- which also held Heisman-hopeful Ron Dayne in check last week -- set the tone on the Boilermakers' opening drive. Following a fumble by tailback Anthony Thomas, the Boilermakers started their drive on the Wolverines 36.

But after advancing to the 11, three consecutive Brees passes were knocked down by the Wolverines secondary, forcing the Boilermakers to settle for a Travis Dorsch field goal. The Boilermakers' next two drives also went deep into Wolverines territory, and each ended in frustration as well: turnover and missed field goal.

"I need to make plays, and I didn't make my fair share of plays today," Brees said. "There were times I should have completed a pass and didn't. That's my job, especially in this offense."

Another Thomas fumble, on the Wolverines 19 with less than a minute left in the first half, put Brees in position to make something happen again. However, the Wolverines defense stopped him cold, holding the Boilermakers to their second field goal and leaving them a comfortable distance behind (21-6) at halftime.

Said Wolverines quarterback Tom Brady: "That's Michigan defense."

While Brees might have tossed away the Heisman in the face of that Michigan defense, Brady appeared to be an MVP candidate early on. Although Brady isn't even a clear-cut No. 1 on his own team -- the fifth-year senior is splitting the quarterbacking duties with sophomore Drew Henson -- he was 8-of-11 for 112 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter.

"First week in October, and the Big Ten's on the line," said Brady, who finished 15-of-25 for 250 yards in three-plus quarters of work. "We showed what we can do when we execute."

Brady's first touchdown went to wide receiver David Terrell, who hardly took a breather all afternoon. In addition to his touchdown reception, he caught another pass for 26 yards, ran a double reverse for 16 and was forced into duty as cornerback to offset the Boilermakers' five-receiver offense. He rarely got beat.

"David Terrell played 34 snaps in the first half, defensively," Carr said. "He was a workhorse."

It was a rough day for Purdue's Drew Brees who was sacked twice and saw his Heisman chances crumble.(AP)

But Terrell wasn't the only Wolverines workhorse. Thomas made up for his two fumbles with 116 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Receiver Marcus Knight burned the Boilermakers secondary time and again, racking up a career-high 136 yards and a touchdown on five receptions. And little-used tailback B.J. Askew also got into the action, sealing the rout with a 10-yard run with 9:11 left in the game.

"It was a balanced effort," Brady said. "When we run the ball well and throw the ball well, we're tough to beat."

Then there was the Wolverines defense, which held Dayne to 88 yards on the ground last week and proved it could stop the pass against the Boilermakers. Outside of the long touchdown pass to Sutherland, the Wolverines defenders made few other mistakes against an unorthodox, yet potent, offense.

"It was time to step up," said Wolverines cornerback Todd Howard, perpetrator of arguably the most vicious hit of the season when he laid out receiver Larry Shayne with a shot just below his chin late in the third quarter. "That's what you practice for."

The Wolverines defense also overcame a little razzle-dazzle they didn't see in practice. Boilermakers coach Joe Tiller often shuffled players in at the last moment in an attempt to create mismatches, an illegal move in the NFL but perfectly legal at the college level.

"They had a good plan," Carr said. "I'm just proud we were able to adjust to it."

Adjust they did, exposing the Boilermakers (4-1, 1-1) as pretenders, a team that will be hard pressed to win one of its next three games: at Ohio State and then at home against Michigan State and Penn State.

On the other hand, the Wolverines look like the real deal and, moments after the game, already were looking forward to next week when they travel to East Lansing, Mich., for a battle against in-state rival Michigan State.

With an impressive victory over Iowa on Saturday, the Spartans remain undefeated (5-0, 2-0) as well, and the Wolverines would love to reveal them as another wannabe with an early schedule filled with also-rans.

"This is the game," said Wolverines nose tackle Rob Renes, a native of Holland, Mich. "This is the reason you come to Michigan. As a lifetime Michigander, if you lose to Michigan State, that gnaws at you for the rest of your life."