What we learned from Nebraska wrestling's top-10 win at Illinois
No. 6 Nebraska (Coaches Poll No. 5) took down No. 10 Illinois (11-5, 4-3) at Huff Hall in Champaign, Ill., on Friday night.
Facing an 11-0 deficit two bouts into the dual, the Huskers (11-6, 4-3) fought back. In fact, NU won its final eight matches with constant buzzer-beater takedowns to secure the impressive 28-11 win.
Here are the three biggest takeaways from the dual…
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Hardy & Lamer answer slow start
Nebraska dropped the opening two bouts as Kael Lauridsen (125) was pinned by No. 16 Spencer Moore in the opening match. At 133, No. 9 Jacob Van Dee did not travel due to a reported illness. That pushed Alan Koehler up a division against 2025 NCAA champion Lucas Byrd, who controlled the NU sophomore and secured a 17-2 tech fall. Those two bonus-point losses had the Big Red trailing 11-0.
However, No. 4 Brock Hardy (141) and No. 20 Chance Lamer (149) answered the call to get the Huskers back in it. In fact, Hardy hammered Will Baysingar with a 20-4 tech fall, which featured six takedowns from the three-time NU All-American.
Meanwhile, Lamer landed a takedown at the buzzer of the first period to build a 3-0 lead over No. 30 Michael Gioffre. Most impressively, he held the Fighting Illini 149-pounder’s reversal in at the beginning of the final frame, which brought home a 5-2 decision. Those two wins set the tone for the remainder of the dual.
Taylor & Araujo’s clutch ability remains supreme
No. 5 Antrell Taylor (157) once again had to activate his clutch gene in the final seconds against No. 9 Kannon Webster. Trailing 2-1 after a stall call, the 2025 NCAA Champions’ 10-match win streak dating back to November was in significant jeopardy.
However, Taylor yet again displayed resilience, nailing a takedown with 11 seconds left to secure the 4-2 decision. Webster actually beat Taylor in the 2024 World Team Trials in freestyle, but Taylor’s delivery in paramount situations remains constant.
After qualifying for Team Brazil last weekend, No. 7 LJ Araujo (165) came out attacking by landing an immediate takedown on Braeden Scoles. That attack from Araujo was pivotal as the Nebraska redshirt freshman held off Scoles in an 8-5 decision.
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Upper weights leave no doubt
Following Taylor and Araujo’s nail-biting victories, Nebraska’s upper weights left no doubt of who held the deepest lineup. In fact, the final two bouts featured bonus points.
Like his gritty 6-3 decision over Northwestern’s Eddie Enright last Sunday, No. 4 Christopher Minto (174) got the best from No. 25 Colin Kelly. The Illinois freshman defended Minto’s attacks well to keep it tied at one apiece with only 10 seconds on the clock. However, the NU sophomore All-American landed a takedown to pull off the 4-1 decision.
Meanwhile, No. 6 Silas Allred (184) kept the Huskers rolling with a 7-2 decision over No. 18 Chris Moore, and No. 9 Camden McDanel (197) dominated Cade Lautt in a 15-4 major decision to clinch the NU dual win.
With the victory secured, No. 4 AJ Ferrari closed out the night by commanding No. 13 Luke Luffman. In fact, Ferrari scored three takedowns and had over a minute of riding time to cap off the dual with an 11-1 major decision.
Nebraska returns to the mat on Sunday, Feb. 15, at No. 25 Indiana (8-4, 3-3) in its final conference dual. First bout starts at 11 a.m. CT and can be seen on the Big Ten Network.
