Massive opportunity awaits Nebraska wrestling vs. Iowa & Ohio State
No. 6 Nebraska wrestling (9-3, 2-0) is in the thick of its grueling Big Ten schedule. After scraping by No. 7 Minnesota 20-12 last week, the Huskers face two of the nation’s top programs in No. 4 Iowa (8-3, 1-1) Friday night and No. 2 Ohio State (12-0, 1-0) Sunday afternoon.
The weekend presents a massive opportunity that could define NU’s trajectory down the stretch. With a red-filled crowd at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, Nebraska has a chance to make history.
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Here’s everything you need to know before the Hawkeyes and Buckeyes roll into Lincoln…
No. 4 Iowa
Date/Time: Friday, Jan. 23 — 8 p.m. CT
TV: Big Ten Network
Series History: Iowa leads 33-7-2
Projected Bouts:
| 125 | Alan Koehler (SO, 10-10) | No. 6 Dean Peterson (SR, 7-2) |
| 133 | No. 8 Jacob Van Dee (JR, 12-1) | No. 10 Drake Ayala (SR, 4-5) |
| 141 | No. 3 Brock Hardy (SR, 2-3) | No. 10 Nasir Bailey (JR, 10-3) |
| 149 | No. 14 Chance Lamer (SR, 10-1) | No. 17 Ryder Block (SO, 6-3) |
| 157 | No. 5 Antrell Taylor (JR, 13-2) | No. 12 Jordan Williams (JR, 7-3) |
| 165 | No. 7 LJ Araujo (RS-FR, 10-4) | No. 3 Michael Caliendo (SR, 9-2) |
| 174 | No. 6 Christopher Minto (SO, 13-2) | No. 3 Patrick Kennedy (SR, 9-1) |
| 184 | No. 7 Silas Allred (SR, 11-4) | Gabe Arnold (SO, 10-2) |
| 197 | No. 9 Camden McDanel (SO, 12-4) | Brody Sampson (FR, 7-7) or Harvey Ludington (FR, 11-3) |
| HWT | No. 4 AJ Ferrari (RS-JR, 7-1) or Cade Ziola (FR, 7-3) | No. 8 Ben Kueter (SO, 3-2) |
Iowa’s 32-3 loss to No. 1 Penn State last Friday night marked its largest home defeat since its 39-0 loss to Oklahoma in the 1965-66 season. Meanwhile, Nebraska has yet to beat its border state rival as a member of the Big Ten.
In fact, the Huskers’ last win over the Hawkeyes came in head coach Mark Manning’s sixth season in Lincoln on Jan. 19, 2006, where the Big Red won 24-13.
Last season, Iowa edged out NU 19-16 in Iowa City.
It appears the Huskers won’t face No. 2 Angelo Ferrari (184) — AJ Ferrari’s brother — due to a knee injury. Angelo was 9-0 on the season before losing 2-1 to Penn State’s Rocco Welsh last Friday. Furthermore, Iowa’s top guy at 197 (Massoma Endene) is no longer with the program.
Nebraska is expected to get Hardy and Lamer back to solidify its top-10 lineup. Hardy rested last week, while Lamer was ill. And with the Devaney Center packed for another potential dual-attendance record, the pendulum continues to swing NU’s way to get its first win against Iowa in two decades. But it won’t come easy.
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No. 2 Ohio State
Date/Time: Sunday, Jan. 25 — 1 p.m. CT
TV: B1G+
Series History: Nebraska leads 10-6-0
Projected Bouts:
| 125 | Alan Koehler (SO, 10-10) or Kael Lauridsen (RS-FR, 8-6) | No. 2 Nic Bouzakis (JR, 9-0) |
| 133 | No. 8 Jacob Van Dee (JR, 12-1) | No. 2 Ben Davino (FR, 15-0) |
| 141 | No. 3 Brock Hardy (SR, 12-3) | No. 1 Jesse Mendez (SR, 12-0) |
| 149 | No. 14 Chance Lamer (SR, 10-1) | No. 4 Ethan Stiles (SO, 9-3) |
| 157 | No. 5 Antrell Taylor (JR, 13-2) | No. 1 Brandon Cannon (SO, 12-0) |
| 165 | No. 7 LJ Araujo (RS-JR, 10-4) | No. 18 Paddy Gallagher (SR, 8-4) |
| 174 | No. 6 Christopher Minto (SO, 13-2) | No. 4 Carson Kharchla (SR, 11-1) |
| 184 | No. 7 Silas Allred (SR, 11-4) | No. 5 Dylan Fishback (JR, 10-2) |
| 197 | No. 9 Camden McDanel (SO, 12-4) | No. 10 Luke Geog (JR, 9-3) |
| HWT | No. 4 AJ Ferrari (RS-JR, 7-1) or Cade Ziola (FR, 7-3) | No. 3 Nick Feldman (JR, 13-2) |
Nebraska already faced Ohio State earlier this season at the National Duals, where it was crushed 33-3 in the quarterfinals. McDanel at 197 was the only Husker to win a bout. However, NU was down Taylor at 157 and had lingering injuries throughout the team.
Still, the Buckeyes remain a daunting challenge, with nine of their 10 wrestlers ranked in the top 10 of their divisions. Ohio State has dominated its past two duals, winning by a combined 66-3 margin over No. 25 Indiana and No. 28 Oregon State.
But if Nebraska can take down Iowa, Sunday suddenly becomes wide open. An upset victory over the Buckeyes would give the Huskers their first top-3 dual win since 2020.
He said it
“It’s really good practice for us as far as we’re getting ready for tournament time here in about six weeks. You’re going to have to wrestle someone good in the semi-finals at Big Ten’s, semi-finals at nationals. One day you wrestle a really good guy, and then you might wrestle a really tough, better opponent the next day. You’ve just got to ready yourself and stay in the moment, focus on what’s in front of you. We’ve got a big match. Obviously, everyone knows on Friday night. And then on Saturday, we’ll think about Ohio State.”
— Nebraska wrestling coach Mark Manning on the Huskers’ massive weekend.
