3 Takes: No. 6 Nebraska wrestling falls short vs. No. 5 Oklahoma State
In front of a home record attendance of 7,094 fans at the Devaney Center for a dual, No. 6 Nebraska wrestling (6-3) fell short 22-12 against No. 5 Oklahoma State (8-1).
The Huskers kept themselves in it until the final matches of the afternoon, and Nebraska made it more competitive than its 33-6 loss to the Cowboys on Nov. 16 in the National Dual Invitational. However, NU’s lack of offense led to the Big Red only winning 4-of-10 bouts in a 22-12 loss.
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Here are three takeaways from Nebraska’s loss:
Three takedowns weren’t close to enough
Nebraska had only three total takedowns in its 10 matches. No. 8 Jacob Van Dee (133), No. 6 Christopher Minto (174) and No. 9 Silas Allred (184) were the only Huskers with those three, and each picked up three of NU’s four wins. In fact, all of their wins were against top-15 opponents.
However, NU’s other top-ranked grapplers couldn’t find any offense on the marquee stage. Head coach Mark Manning hopes that his other athletes learn from Van Dee, Minto and Allred’s ability to deliver in dire situations.
“We’re an explosive team. We didn’t show that today,” he said. “(Oklahoma State) has some explosive guys, too. We have to get better at being more offensive. I think we’ll be okay, but we’ve got a lot to learn from today.”
Hardy fails to seize opportunity
Although No. 3 Brock Hardy (141) lost in a 13-2 major decision earlier in the season to No. 2 Sergio Vega, the top-3 bout was set to be the premier match for the dual. However, Vega controlled the mat right from the handshake. In fact, the Cowboy freshman pinned the senior All-American with 1:16 left in only the first period.
Following Allred’s 4-2 decision victory over No. 10 Zack Ryder, the Huskers made it a 16-12 game. But No. 10 Camden McDanel’s (197) 2-1 loss to No. 7 Cody Merrill made it a seven-point OSU lead, which secured the Cowboy victory.
While Hardy is a three-time All-American, he failed to seize the moment and hurt Nebraska the most of any on the scoreboard. It felt like the Big Red chased those six points for the remainder of the dual.
Taylor edges out No. 2 in wild bout
The bout of the day took place in the 157-pound division between defending national champion No. 6 Antrell Taylor and No. 2 Landon Robideau. In fact, it took six periods to decipher a winner.
Taylor trailed 2-1 entering the third period, but was immediately able to escape from the down position to lock it even at two. It took until the fifth period for another to score, and Taylor escaped to hold on for a 3-2 decision.
He picked up his fourth-ranked win of the season to improve to 10-2. But most impressively, Taylor handed Robideau his first loss of the season, and at that point, made it feel like Nebraska had a chance. The two-time All-American felt he made a statement.
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“A lot of people were doubting me and saying I didn’t have what I know I have,” Taylor said. “I took that personally and went out there and fought like I said I was.”
Other Results
***Kael Lauridsen (125) lost the opening bout to No. 7 Troy Spratley by a 12-4 major decision.
***Van Dee’s win was a 4-1 dogfight against No. 21 Ronnie Ramirez. It was tied at one before Van Dee landed a takedown with under 50 seconds remaining in the final period.
***Making his Husker debut, No. 5 Chance Lamer (149) was upset by No. 17 Casey Swiderski in a 7-2 decision.
***No. 10 LJ Araujo (165) lost 4-1 in sudden victory after No. 2 LaDarion Lockett scored a takedown.
***Minto took down No. 13 Alex Facundo in a 4-1 decision.
***Heavyweight Cade Ziola (285) swapped AJ Ferrari for the final bout after OSU had clinched the win following the 197-pound bout. Ziola hung in there against No. 7 Konner Doucet. However, Doucet had over a minute of riding time for a 2-1 win.
Nebraska will take its Christmas break before hosting Northern Iowa on Jan. 3, 2026, at 6 p.m. CT. It can be seen on B1G+
