Last winter, a selfish B.J. Askew dreaded returning to fullback. But the senior said one tiny person in particular helped him become more selfless and accept the new position gracefully.

Askew's 1-year old son, B.J. Askew, Jr., gives the Cincinnati native all the motivation he could ever ask for. Askew said spending time with the "apple of his eye" after football practices made him realize that he wants to give "Junior" a better childhood than he had.

"It changed my life," Askew said. "It makes you more responsible and I just want to give him even more opportunities than I've had in my life - so he won't have to worry about what kind of car he drives or house he lives in."

Askew remembers his father tirelessly working long hours and weekends at General Motors to make sure his three brothers and one sister could live somewhat comfortably during their childhood. Askew knew that moving to fullback was the best chance for him to make it in the NFL, and create the desired type of lifestyle for his son. After all, former Wolverine Leroy Hoard did it, and by making himself more versatile, Askew feels he can catch NFL scouts' eyes.

"I'm not just playing for myself or my team now," Askew said. "I'm playing for my son, and that drives me every day."

And every day, Askew goes from practice to take care of his son while Junior's mother takes night classes. It may be a hectic lifestyle, but that's nothing new to Askew - who rarely gets breaks on the football field.

Askew led the team in rushing with 932 yards on the ground as Michigan's primary tailback last season. And Askew ranks second among the Wolverines in rushing yards (112) and receptions (16) this season. Askew also often finds himself trash talking with linebackers while lead blocking for starting tailback Chris Perry and pass-protecting for quarterback John Navarre. And he said he's never lost a battle yet.

"Until I do, whoever I block will hear about it," Askew said.

But Askew knew he had to bulk up this past offseason to adjust to fullback. He hit the weightroom and made plenty of visits to Subway to help gain about 12 pounds to raise his game weight to 238.

"For those people who do the 'Subway Diet' and lose weight, I don't know how they do it," Askew said.

If Askew's eating habits don't make him stick out, his light blue jumpsuits do. Askew sported an afro most of last season, and said he gets razzed sometimes by teammates for his "unique" outfits.

Offensive lineman "Dave Petruziello came up to me the other day and asked if he could borrow my blue pants - because he said he wanted to go to a 'pimp and ho store,'" Askew said.

Mums the word: Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said he doesn't expect that defensive lineman Shantee Orr will play Saturday. Orr suffered an undisclosed injury to his right knee in the first half of last Saturday's win over Utah, and Carr said after the game that Orr may be out for "a while." Orr has been seen on campus using crutches to walk around.

"We expect him back at some point," Carr said.

As for cornerback Markus Curry, the other Wolverine missing in action for most of Saturday's game, Carr didn't discuss his benching, other than to say, "Competition is wonderful."

Curry honored: Markus' brother, Julius, earned Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his impressive performance on Saturday. Curry, a fifth-year senior, tied a school record with eight punt returns for 105 yards, while also grabbing two interceptions.