What we learned from Nebraska wrestling’s 26-12 loss at Penn State
No. 6 Nebraska wrestling (9-6, 2-3) fell 26-12 to No. 1 Penn State (12-0, 6-0) Friday night in University Park, Pa.
The Huskers won three of their 10 bouts against the mighty Nittany Lions, as PSU’s NCAA dual-win record increased to 83 straight. However, NU’s 12 points were the most Penn State had allowed all season, and were the first matches PSU had lost in the last three duals.
Here are the three biggest takeaways from Nebraska’s loss…
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Taylor delivers statement win
No. 5 Antrell Taylor reminded everyone why he is the defending NCAA Champion at 157. The Millard, Neb. native constantly deflected attack attempts from No. 3 PJ Duke — who beat Taylor 9-6 in freestyle at last summer’s World Team Trials — through three periods, forcing it into sudden victory tied at one apiece.
After a scoreless sudden-victory frame, Taylor escaped in the first tiebreaker and then denied Duke the opportunity to use his 13-second riding-time advantage in the final period, securing a 2-1 victory to hand the PSU freshman his first loss of the season.
Taylor hasn’t lost a bout since his two losses at the National Duals in November and remains one of Nebraska’s backbones. Friday’s win should vault him to No. 3 in the rankings.
Hardy, Ferrari bounce back
After a crushing 14-3 loss to No. 1 Jesse Mendez of Ohio State last Sunday, No. 4 Brock Hardy (141) faced immediate adversity against No. 12 Braeden Davis. In fact, Davis landed a takedown on Hardy only eight seconds into the bout and built a 6-2 lead entering the second period.
However, the Nebraska three-time All-American responded with a key takedown to cut the deficit to 7-5 entering the final period. Hardy then escaped to start the third and took control, locking up a cradle to pin the Penn State junior with 1:05 remaining. At the time, his impressive comeback cut the PSU lead to only one.
Meanwhile, No. 4 heavyweight AJ Ferrari also responded after a heartbreaking 4-1 loss to No. 3 Nick Feldman last weekend. The 2021 NCAA Champion at 197 took on No. 12 Cole Mirasola and rode him out until 12 seconds were left on the clock to close out the dual with a 2-1 decision.
Minto’s a legit contender at 174
While No. 4 Christopher Minto fell to No. 1 Levi Haines, he proved he won’t be an easy out come tournament time. The sophomore All-American grabbed a 4-1 lead over the undefeated Penn State senior in the second period. However, Haines responded with two takedowns to defeat Minto 8-6.
Still, of Nebraska’s seven losses, only two of those featured a Big Red athlete landing takedowns. The Huskers also only had four takedowns as a team. Sure, Minto lost, but he went down swinging and entered Friday night with a team-leading 31 takedowns in dual play — an effort that never slips.
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Other Results
***Alan Koehler (125) got dominated by No. 1 Luke Lilledahl, losing by technical fall 20-4.
***No. 10 Jacob Van Dee (133) lost a tight 5-1 decision to No. 4 Marcus Blaze. The sophomore All-American nearly landed a takedown in the third period, but Blaze held him off to hang on. After entering last weekend undefeated in dual action, Van Dee has lost three straight bouts.
***No. 18 Chance Lamer landed a takedown on No. 1 Shayne Van Ness from the handshake. However, the PSU 149-pounder pulled away to win in a decisive 12-5 decision.
***No. 7 LJ Araujo (165) was outmatched against No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink, who is also the top-ranked pound-for-pounder in the NCAA. The NU redshirt freshman permitted four takedowns in his 20-5 loss.
***No. 6 Silas Allred (184) lost a 14-5 major decision to No. 1 Rocco Welsh.
***No. 9 Camden McDanel (197) lost a high-scoring 21-9 major decision to No. 1 Josh Barr. The NU sophomore allowed four takedowns in the first period, creating an insurmountable deficit.
Nebraska returns to the mat on Sunday, Feb. 8, when it hosts Northwestern for its final home dual of the season. First bout starts at 1 p.m. CT and can be seen on B1G+.
