Michigan running back Anthony Thomas carries the ball for a 15-yard gain against Rice.(AP)

Bettering their opening 15 minutes Saturday might be a hard act to follow. The Wolverines (2-0) scored 28 points on their first four possessions, breaking the school record of 24 first-quarter points against Northwestern in 1991.

John Navarre, a redshirt freshman starting his second straight game for injured Drew Henson, completed 10 of 15 passes for 129 yards. His three first-half touchdowns -- two to Marquise Walker -- helped stake Michigan to a 35-0 lead over the Owls (1-1).

"We got ahead" quickly, Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "That was pretty much the game."

David Terrell finished with 93 yards on five catches in the second meeting between the two schools. In beating Rice 37-3 last year, Michigan kept the Owls from crossing midfield until their final drive.

Rice didn't fare much better Saturday.

Owls quarterback Corey Evans fumbled away the game's first snap, and Michigan needed just 10 seconds and two plays -- runs of 8 and 10 yards by Thomas -- to reach the end zone.

After Ron Bellamy returned a punt 48 yards to Rice's 36, Navarre capped a 56-second, three-play drive with a 6-yard scoring pass to Walker.

"We gave up 14 points before we could move," said Rice coach Ken Hatfield, who hoped to control the ball to keep Michigan's offense off the field. "We had a good game plan -- it just didn't work.

"They didn't turn it over or give us chances."

On Michigan's next possession, in fact, Navarre threw 20 yards to Terrell, and Thomas rumbled 27 yards on the next play to make it 21-0.

And Michigan was off and running, just the way Walker said the Wolverines had mapped out.

"We were focused on getting a quick start and came out with that mind set and did it," he said.

Michigan closed out its first-quarter blitz with a 65-yard, eight-play drive. Thomas had two 15-yard runs, and Navarre an 11-yard TD pass to Walker.

Navarre hit Terrell again from 20 yards out to make it 35-0 with 16 seconds left in the half.

Navarre, the Big Ten's offensive player of the week after throwing four touchdown passes in the season-opening victory against Bowling Green, has completed 74 percent of his passes and tossed seven touchdowns with no interceptions in two games.

Without speculating when Henson might return, Carr said he's quite pleased with the two-sport star's stand-in.

Carr credits Navarre with adapting well to the Owls' defensive nuances and handling pressure in the pocket, including taking a teeth-jarring hit after tossing one touchdown.

That play, Carr said, "he just stood in there, looked right down the barrel and threw (before being knocked to the turf). That said a lot about the way he played."

Hayden Epstein closed out Michigan's scoring with a 27-yard third-quarter field goal.

Rice's only score came on a 68-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ben Wulf -- a converted running back -- to Adrian Sadler with 7:10 to play. It was the Owls' first touchdown pass of the season and accounted for a chunk of the Owls' 271 total yards, 164 of it coming on the ground.

While calling Michigan a national contender, Evans said the Owls will benefit from lumps taken Saturday.

"Playing a team like this can only help make us better," he said.

Michigan plays at UCLA next Saturday before opening the Big Ten season at Illinois. Rice returns home to play Tulsa in its WAC opener.