Ann Arbor, MI -- (Sports Network) - Mike Hart racked up 146 yards on the ground and Chad Henne tossed two touchdown passes as 14th-ranked Michigan opened the 2006 season with a 27-7 victory over Vanderbilt at Michigan Stadium.

Off a somewhat disappointing 2005 season, the Maize and Blue racked up 246 yards on the ground and 381 total yards while holding the Commodores to 42 yards net rushing and 171 total yards.

Four different Wolverines totaled 20 or more yards on the ground with Kevin Grady running for 30 yards and a score.

Steve Breaston and Mario Manningham were Henne's top targets on the afternoon. Breaston caught four passes for 68 yards and Manningham hauled in three balls for 44 yards and a score.

Vanderbilt broke in a new quarterback on Saturday at the Big House, as star signal-caller Jay Cutler was drafted in the first round by the Denver Broncos in this year's NFL Draft.

Chris Nickson finished 11-of-25 for 99 yards while also running for 22 yards. Earl Bennett was a dual threat, catching six passes for 58 yards and throwing his first career TD pass.

Michigan wasted little time getting on the scoreboard for the first time in the 2006 season. A 10-play, 81-yard march featured a heavy workload for Hart, who scampered for 38 yards on six touches during the possession. The drive ended with Hart's backup -- Grady -- bursting past the first wave of the defense and into the end zone from 19 yards out.

The Wolverines tacked on three more points on the next possession, but it could have been more. Nickson's fumble gave Michigan great field position at the Commodores' 33-yard line.

On third down, Henne threw an out pass to Manningham inside the five-yard line. Manningham appeared to turn toward the pylon when Josh Allen ripped the ball out of the wideout's hands. The play was originally ruled a catch and a fumble out of bounds at the two-yard line, but the call was changed to an incomplete pass after further review in the booth.

Garrett Rivas' subsequent 33-yard field goal split the uprights for a 10-0 advantage.

Vanderbilt pulled a rabbit out of its hat to put points on the board for the first time. The 59-yard drive ended with some razzle dazzle, as Nixon threw a lateral screen to Bennett, who was lined up in the slot to the long side of the field. The Michigan secondary flocked to Bennett, who then threw his first career pass for a 30-yard touchdown to a wide open Marlon White.

The longest field goal of Rivas' career capped another scoring drive for the Wolverines in the second stanza. Another 10-play drive, this one spanning 53 yards, was highlighted by a 29-yard pitch-and-catch between Henne and the speedster Breaston. Rivas drilled a 48-yard field goal with 7:37 left in the half for a 13-7 lead.

Michigan dominated the first half on the stat sheet, with a 236-88 advantage in total yards. However, the trick play coupled with stingy defense in the red zone kept the Commodores in the game.

The Wolverines upped their edge late in the third period with a drive that stayed alive thanks to a 4th-and-1 conversion by Grady. Later in the march, Henne found Tyler Ecker down the seam for a 14-yard score with 2:29 on the clock.

Henne's 27-yard touchdown pass to Manningham with 2:11 left in the game rounded out the scoring.

Game Notes:

Henne finished 10-of-22 passing and also ran for 20 yards...Michigan had 20 first downs to nine for Vanderbilt...Michigan improved to 106-18-3 in season openers and holds a dominant 10-0-1 mark in the all-time series with the Commodores.