WILDCATS, WILD TIMES Michigan drops a close match to Northwestern on Saturday, making this week- end's contests must wins. IAN HERBERT: Saturday's game shouldn't have surprised anyone; it followed a familiar pattern PAGE 4B The SportsMonday Column PAGE 2B 'M' HATES WHO? You know who Michigan's rivals are in football and basketball, but Blue's rivals in other sports may surprise you. PAGE 6B November 21, 2005 able0 w donl BiG 2 ho 1 _ MxHIA 21 lB Bucked up Rivalry woes continue for Blue 1in finale By Gabe Edelson Daily Sports Writer Long after the Ohio State Buckeyes stormed the Michigan Stadium turf from the visitors' sideline to celebrate their 25-21 come-from-behind victory over the Wolverines on Saturday, the Michigan student section remained. Standing silently in shock and disbelief, the blue-clad, blue- faced fans in the Big House's northwest corner seemed to be standing vigil over the Wolverines' dead Big Ten championship hopes. The crowd had gradually deflated as Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith orchestrated a nearly flawless 12-play, 88-yard drive capped off by tailback Antonio Pittman's three-yard touchdown run with 24 seconds left on the clock. After the Wolverines' last-ditch drive stalled near mid- field, the Michigan faithful descended from their jubilant early fourth- quarter enthusiasm to a catatonic state. But the Buckeyes' game-winning drive, executed with surgical preci- sion, should have come as no surprise. The warning signs were there. Michigan's opponents had marched down the field and scored to take the lead or force overtime in the final minute of regulation on four occa- sions this season prior to Saturday. In the end, it was simple. The Michigan defense needed a stop. Instead, as it had so often this year, it collapsed. "It's huge disappointment and hurt," fifth-year senior cornerback Grant Mason said of his emotions. "You never want to go out like that - with a loss." Michigan (5-3 Big Ten, 7-4 overall) led, 21-12, with under seven minutes to play. But the Wolverines' defensive unit, which had held Ohio State (7-1, 9-2) scoreless since late in the first half, folded in spectacular fashion. The Buckeyes overwhelmed Michigan with two big plays - a 27-yard pass from Smith to wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez and a thrilling 14- yard third-down scramble by the Ohio State signal-caller - before strik- ing quickly to close the gap to two points on Santonio Holmes's 26-yard touchdown catch with 6:40 left. The Wolverines took over near midfield after a short kickoff by Ohio State's Josh Huston. Holmes's unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for div- ing into the end zone on his touchdown reception had forced Huston to kick off from Ohio State's 20-yard line. But during a disastrous series, tight end Mike Massey dropped a pass from quarterback Chad Henne, backup running back Kevin Grady lost yardage, Michigan burned a timeout because of a miscommunication, and left guard Leo Henige broke his right leg. Garrett Rivas's pooch punt pinned the Buckeyes on their own 12 with 4:18 left. Ohio State needed to drive all the way down the field for a shot at a winning field goal. "We had the mindset, 'Let's get this stop, fellas. It's on us,' " Mason said of the defense's final series. "Everybody went into it with confidence.... I JASON COOPER/Daily really felt like we were going to get the stop. We didn't find a way to." See BUCKEYES, page 5B o State safety Nate Salley celebrates an incomplete pass intended for Jason Avant during Michigan's 25-21 loss to the Buckeyes on Saturday. INAL MINUTE BLUES: Michigan allowed go-ahead or game-tying scores in the final minute of five games this year. 47 r22 44u Iowa, W 23-20 (OT) 9 plays, 74 yards, 2:42, Schlicher field goal :24 Ohio State, L 21-25 12 plays, 88 yards, 3:54, Pittman TD run Cagers cruise to victory in regular-season opener By Jack Herman Daily Sports Writer After wingman Lester Abram sat out all but three games last season with a shoulder injury, no one would have been shocked if he looked rusty in his team's season opener against Central Michigan. But nine seconds into the game, Abram ;t proved that he was back. Guard Daniel Horton gathered the tipoff and soon In all actuality, Abram did show some signs of RIB weakness early in the game, and he agreed with Michigan coach Tommy Amaker's assessment that, at times, he was too excited. Much like the Wolver- ines (1-0 overall) struggled to pull away from Cen- tral Michigan (0-1) early - battling to an 11-11 tie seven minutes in - Abram had some difficulties controlling the ball and committed turnovers on two consecutive drives. But Abram soon got a handle on things, bucket- ing eight more points to end the half. Defensively, WOMEWS BASKETBALL 'M' bounces back from Friday loss By Sara Livingston Daily Sports Writer After being held scoreless for six minutes Friday night against No. 15 Notre Dame, the Wolverines took their frustration out on yesterday's opponent, Miami (Ohio), holding the RedHawks score- less from the floor for nine minutes in the sec- ond half to win the game, 75-58. Down by one with 13 minutes to play in the game, freshman center Stephany Skrba made back-to-back blocks to initi-