WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- During coach Darrell Hazells first three seasons at Purdue, defense certainly hasnt been the Boilermakers forte, explaining in large part why this program entered Saturdays opener 6-30 beginning with 2013.Seven of last years 12 opponents scored at least 41 points in a 2-10 season, but defense provided all the momentum Purdue needed against Eastern Kentucky in Ross-Ade Stadium.Leroy Clark and Gelen Robinsons first-quarter interceptions helped Purdue build an early 21-0 lead, and the Boilermakers outlasted the Football Championship Subdivision Colonels 45-24 in the season opener for both teams.Clarks interception of Maty Mauk, the fifth-year graduate transfer quarterback from Missouri, set up Purdues second touchdown and a 14-0 lead, and Robinsons 78-yard interception return for a score pushed the Boilermakers advantage to 21-0 with 3:31 remaining in the first quarter.Markell Jones scored on a 3-yard run to cap an efficient opening drive for Purdue.Obviously, we like to win the turnover battle, and that was a huge part of our preparation, as it is for every team, said Robinson, the son of former Purdue All-American basketball standout and NBA player Glenn Robinson.For me, it was great to do my part to help the defense win that battle. On my interception, as soon as I saw the quarterback flare out, I knew my job. I had help scoring when (cornerback) Myles Norwood blocked the quarterback.Eastern Kentucky turned the ball over four times. The Boilermakers were guilty of one.While Eastern Kentucky out gained the Boilermakers 284-243 during the first 30 minutes, Purdue built a led 28-18 at halftime, thanks to the 14 points as a result of interceptions.Any time you can play out front like we did, it takes a little bit of stress off you, coach Hazell said, So it was good for us to get those turnovers and convert those turnovers into points. Then I thought our guys responded well in the second half by playing great defense and penetrating well.First-year Eastern Kentucky coach Mark Elder said the first-quarter turnovers provided this games storyline.You are not going to have a chance to win many games with three turnovers in the first quarter, Elder said, We have to do a better job of protecting the ball. Our guys fought and played hard all game, but we got down by too much too early.Boilermaker redshirt sophomore quarterback David Blough ran for two touchdowns and threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver DeAngelo Yancey, giving Purdue a 28-8 lead late in the second quarter.I thought we moved the ball really well, said Blough, who was 1-7 as a starter in 2015. We sustained some drives and picked up some crucial third downs, but theres so many little things that we can do to make it that much better. We didnt score on one drive when we got inside their 10.Jones carried 24 times for 143 yards for a Purdue team that now has won 13 consecutive home openers, including 4-0 for fourth-year coach Hazell, now 7-30 with the Boilermakers. Hazell is 4-0 against FCS opponents.You have to know that those 143 rushing yards all start up front, Jones said. Those guys did a good job of imposing their will, which made it pretty easy for me to find holes and seams and hit them.Each team struggled to generate any third-quarter offense, especially after Colonels quarterback Bennie Coney, who replaced Mauk in the first quarter, took a hard hit while scrambling and was helped to the sideline, prompting Mauks return.Purdue finally broke the second-half scoring drought on Bloughs second TD run, a 1-yard plunge with 12:48 remaining in the game to extend the lead to 35-18.J.D. Dellingers 30-yard field goal with 4:56 to play capped a 13-play, 66-yard drive and gave the Boilermakers a 38-18 lead.Blough finished 25 of 43 for 245 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Domonique Young caught eight passes for 74 yards.Purdue capped its scoring with a 48-yard touchdown run from freshman Brian Lankford-Johnson with 4:23 left. The Colonels got a TD with 1:34 remaining to complete the scoring.TAKEAWAYPurdue: While the Boilermakers pulled away during the final 12:48, they led their FCS opponent by just 10 points heading into the final quarter in front of only 32,074 fans on a gorgeous September afternoon. Purdue finished with 512 yards of offense and snapped a four-game losing streak to end the 2015 season. The 32,074 was the smallest home crowd for a Purdue home opener since 25,000 watched the Boilermakers defeat Missouri 31-0 on Sept. 25, 1954, almost 62 years ago.Eastern Kentucky: If Coney is able to play next week after taking a hard hit in the second half, the Colonels coaching staff will have a difficult decision to make at quarterback. Mauk struggled at Purdue, but he was 17-5 as a starter at Missouri. It was clear Saturday that the Eastern Kentucky offense had a better rhythm with Coney under center.Our plan from the get-go was that we were going to put Mauk in for the first two series and Coney was going to play series three and four and we were going to go from there, Elder said. Bennie had a hot hand, so we kept him in there. For the second half, we had the same plan.KEY NUMBERSPurdue: The Boilermakers key to limiting Eastern Kentucky to six second-half points centered on third-down conversions. The Colonels were 10 of 14 in the first half when they scored 18 points and 0 for 6 in the final 30 minutes when they scored six.Eastern Kentucky: Coney finished 13 of 23 for 158 yards and a touchdown, while Mauk was only 2 of 7 for 18 yards with two picks. Mauk did rush eight times for 39 yards.INJURY REPORTPurdue was without starting cornerback DaWan Hunte (sprained ankle) and defensive end Austin Larkin (sprained ankle). Each starter, according to Hazell, should be ready for the Sept. 10 game against Cincinnati.THE LAST WORDWe did not come here to play close, and we certainly did not come here to lose by 21. We came here to win the game. --- Eastern Kentucky coach Mark Elder.UP NEXTPurdue: The Boilermakers are home again on Sept. 10, hosting Cincinnati at noon. The Bearcats defeated Purdue in September of 2013 in Hazells first game with the Boilermakers, 42-7 in Cincinnati. The Bearcats opened the season Thursday night with a 28-7 victory against Tennessee-Martin.Eastern Kentucky: The Colonels will attempt to give coach Mark Elder his first victory at EKU on Thursday when they play Pikeville. Wholesale Nike Air Max Plus . The Australian is competing in his final season in Formula One and still looking for his first win this year. He will look to end Vettels run of six straight race wins on Sunday. 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LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The eye-popping statistics No. 10 Louisville put up in its first two games of the season doesnt mean there arent areas the Cardinals can and need to improve on.And theyll need to play better as the competition will step up this week.Gaining big yardage and putting up a lot of points will be much harder for the Cardinals (2-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) in Saturdays nationally televised showdown against No. 2 Florida State (2-0, 0-0). Louisville knows that and is working to correct the flaws masked by those gaudy numbers against Charlotte and Syracuse.Despite gaining a school-record 845 yards and scoring at least 60 points for the second straight game, Louisville left last Fridays 62-28 throttling of Syracuse with room for improvement. The Cardinals dropped passes, lost two of six fumbles and allowed some big plays along with 426 yards.Coach Bobby Petrino blamed some of the drops on a lack of concentration and others on the receivers ongoing process of developing timing with dual-threat sophomore quarterback Lamar Jackson. The coach also lamented some defensive lapses but noted how the unit made key plays when needed to against the Orange.The Cardinals may not have to be perfect against the Seminoles, but Petrino said theres little room for errors.We do have to limit our turnovers, we have to take care of the football and we have to not hurt ourselves, Petrino said Monday. I think thats the biggest thing, to not hurt ourselves.Fortunately for Louisville, mistakes have been minimal while winning its first two games by a 132-42 margin. High scoring has always been one of Petrinos priorities, so lighting up the scoreboard hasnt been a shock.We want to wear you out as much as we can and were having fun doing it, said wide receiver Jamari Staples, who leads Louisville with 219 yards but is still looking for his first touchdown. Its not arrogance, its just something we like doing.The Cardinals want to keep rolling in one of the programs biggest games that coould help establish an early favorite in the ACCs Atlantic Division.dddddddddddd Both the Cardinals and Florida State still have to face No. 5 Clemson -- the preseason favorite to repeat as conference champions -- with Louisville visiting the Tigers on Oct. 1.Offensively, the Cardinals believe theyre just getting started.Thats saying something considering Louisvilles offense averages a nation-leading 754 yards per game and ranks third in yards per play at 9.9. Jackson has already rushed and passed for 1,025 yards and 13 touchdowns -- including his much-celebrated hurdle over a Syracuse defender en route to a TD.Dangerous as Jackson has been with his arm, quick feet and athleticism, Petrino has been pleased with the QBs decision-making and inclusion of multiple targets.Lamar is smart with the ball, said Florida State defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi, adding that Jackson is faster than Mississippi quarterback Chad Kelly. When there are times he has to make a play he is going to carry it. Chasing him down is more like a running back. Last year he was more in the pocket.As Louisville looks to Jackson to gain an edge against the Seminoles, the trick will be holding it after losing halftime leads versus Florida State the past two years. The Seminoles recently showed their knack for comebacks as they rallied from a 28-6 hole to beat Ole Miss 45-34 on Labor Day.If they can get on top of Florida State, the Cardinals dont plan to let them up again.We always start off good in the first half and then kind of slip up in the second half and dont do what we normally do, senior linebacker Keith Kelsey said. Were not going to let that happen this year.----AP Writer Joe Reedy in Tallahassee, Florida, contributed to this report.----Online: AP College Football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org----Follow Gary B. Graves on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/GaryBGraves ' ' '