ANN ARBOR, Michigan (Ticker) -- Lloyd Carr played the role of happy host for a Mid-American Conference school and an old friend.
Carr's offense was clicking on all cylinders as Chris Perry rushed for a career-high 232 yards and two touchdowns and John Navarre connected with Braylon Edwards for a pair of scoring plays as seventh-ranked Michigan rolled to a 45-7 rout of Central Michigan.
It was the second earliest season opener in school history for Michigan (1-0), trailing only the August 26, 1995 Kickoff Classic game here against Virginia.
But the Wolverines were ready to unleash their weapons on overmatched Central Michigan (0-1), totaling 615 yards in offense.
Perry, who rushed for 1,110 yards last season, needed just 22 carries to become the first Michigan back to rush for more than 200 yards since Anthony Thomas went for 225 yards in a September 23, 2000 game against Illinois.
Perry's rushing yards were the most by a Michigan back in a season opener, surpassing a 210-yard performance by Gordon Bell in a 1975 game against Wisconsin.
"I didn't have any idea I had that many but it's not that big a deal," Perry said. "It's something I'll just put away for now because we have 12 more games to go."
The 6-1, 218-pound senior used his superb cutback ability to score on an 11-yard run in the second quarter and a 26-yard run in the third quarter.
"The offensive line did a really great job blocking and so did the receivers," Perry said.
The 6-3 Edwards used his size to catch a six-yard touchdown on a fade pattern in the left corner of the end zone in the first quarter and also caught a 48-yard pass in the third quarter. He finished with five catches for 78 yards.
However, Edwards was not on the field for Michigan's first four offensive plays. Carr did not give the reason why, but hinted that he is not happy with his star receiver.
"Braylon Edwards and I are not on the same page. That's all I'm going to say about that," Carr said.
Navarre, who joined Rick Leach as the only quarterbacks in school history to start four straight season openers, completed 19-of-33 passes for 245 yards with an interception.
Central Michigan coach Mike DeBord was well aware of Michigan's weapons. He spent eight years as an assistant with the Wolverines, serving as offensive coordinator for Carr on the 1997 national championship team.
Afterwards, DeBord, who left Michigan to become the coach at Central Michigan in 2000, was in no mood to reminisce.
"We were here to play a football game," DeBord said. "I wish we could have played better."
Carr improved to 7-0 against Mid-American schools with the Wolverines winning those games by a combined score of 288-99. But was the first meeting between these schools since 1931, a 27-0 victory here for Michigan.
"This wasn't any fun for me," Carr said. "Mike DeBord means a lot to me, so this was like a no-win situation."
The kicking game may again be a no-win situation for Carr. Adam Finley kicked a 30-yard field goal, but he missed a 25-yard attempt and was short on a 47-yard attempt in the first quarter. Michigan kickers made just 12-of-24 field goals last season, including Finley.
Perry broke off a career-best 62-yard run on Michigan's second play from scrimmage, but Finley missed his first field goal try.
Finley atoned with a 30-yard field goal with 9:16 left in the first quarter following Michigan's second possession.
Edwards' over-the-shoulder TD catch in the corner of the end zone with 2:25 left in the quarter increased the lead to 10-0. Navarre completed 5-of-6 passes for 64 yards in the scoring drive.
Perry scored on an 11-yard run 3:56 into the second quarter to give the Wolverines a 17-0 halftime lead.
Central Michigan drove inside the Michigan 20 twice in the first half, but turned it over each time.
The Chippewas opened the second half with a 92-yard scoring drive, capped by a 27-yard TD run by Kenan Lanwhorne.
But the Wolverines dashed any upset hopes Central Michigan may have entertained, scoring touchdowns on all three third quarter possessions.
Perry scored on a 26-yard run with 9:07 left in the quarter, then broke off a 33-yard run before Edwards caught a 48-yard touchdown with 6:48 remaining. David Underwood scored on a one-yard run with five seconds left in the quarter.
Terrence Jackson rushed for 104 yards on 21 carries and Jeff Perry completed 18-of-29 passes for 150 yards with an interception for Central Michigan.
The Wolverines played without safety Marlin Jackson, the preseason Big Ten player of the year, who was suspended for one game after pleading guilty to aggravated assault earlier this month.
