5 takeaways from No. 1 Penn State wrestling's dominating 32-7 win over Ohio State
Penn State wrestling has won again at the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Nittany Lions won their eighth match at the BJC in the Cael Sanderson era and extended their nation’s-best dual meet win streak to 26 by topping Ohio State 32-7 in front of a nearly sold-out crowd in State College.
Sanderson told the Penn State Sports Network prior to the match that his team needed to be ready to go. It was.
“This is always a big match, obviously, Ohio State is one of the top programs in the country,” Sanderson said. “And this is several weekends in a row [wrestling top teams], so our guys just need to go out there and wrestle with a little bit of fire tonight, and just be warmed up and ready to go.
“These matches, they come and go and then end quickly, so we just need to be ready to go.”
Here are our takeaways.
1. Penn State win of the night
As always, there are a few ways to go here. You could take your pick on this night.
Penn State (15-0) won three bouts after regulation. Terrell Barraclough beat Isaac Wilcox 4-2 in sudden victory at 157. Then, Creighton Edsell beat Kevon Freeman 2-0 in the extra period at 165. Finally, No. 2 Max Dean needed another minute (actually a little less) to fend off No. 21 Gavin Hoffman 5-3.
Then, there was Drew Hildebrandt netting a 2-0 win over Malik Heinselman in a battle of top-10 grapplers, per InterMat, at 125. And, who could pass over Aaron Brooks’ win by fall at 184 over Rocky Jordan with a lightning-quick cradle in 3:20? Or Roman Bravon Young’s pin of Brady Koontz in 5:31? Greg Kerkvliet dominating Tate Orndorff 10-2 at heavyweight should also be under consideration.
We’ll go with Barraclough. More on why below. It was a good night all around for the Nittany Lions.
2. Barraclough gets it done
Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said earlier this week that he and his staff were waiting for someone to earn the 157-pound starting spot.
Terrell Barraclough may not have completely done that on Friday night. But, he certainly made a huge step in that direction.
The Kaysville, Utah, native had two escapes to a pair of takedowns for the Buckeyes’ Isaac Wilcox, who filled in for Jashon Hubbard, to force sudden victory. He fended off a deep shot from the Ohio State wrestler to force the action off the mat and back to center. Then, he got in on a deep shot late in the extra period and worked his way around for a 4-2 victory with just five seconds left to wrestle.
It was Barraclough’s first dual meet victory in a blue and white singlet. And, it might be the first sign that the Lions have their answer at 157 as the postseason nears.
3. Both sides were without starters
Injuries and illness have meant many of college wrestling’s top teams have not had their full starting lineup available for any given match.
Penn State has been no exception. Ohio State was not on this evening, either.
The Lions were without Brady Berge at 165 and Carter Starocci at 174. Longtime Penn State play-by-play radio announcer Jeff Byers said on the broadcast that it’s likely that neither will wrestle Sunday against Nebraska. Starocci could be out until the Big Ten tournament next month.
OSU, then, did not weigh in starters at 157 (Jashon Hubbard), 165 (Carson Kharchla), and 184 (Kaleb Romero). It happens at this time of year but is unfortunate as well.
We’ll see who ends up on the mat in the postseason, but here’s hoping they all can.
4. More BJC matches, please
There is nothing like a Penn State wrestling match at Rec Hall. The noise, the setup, and everything else is all fantastic.
That said, the Whiteout crowd, the all-white Penn State singlets, the pyrotechnics, and the 15,000-plus crowd was again awesome The Lions do not need to wrestle every match at the arena known for basketball, concerts, and graduation, of course. But, as Sanderson said earlier this week, a couple of matches there a season would not be the worst idea in the world.
Penn State-Ohio State final results
125: Drew Hildebrandt PSU wins by decision over Malik Heinselman OSU 2-0; 3-0 PSU
133: Roman Bravo-Young wins by fall over Brady Koontz OSU, 5:31; PSU 9-0
141: Nick Lee PSU wins by major decision over Dylan D’Emilio OSU, 13-3; PSU 13-0
149: Sammy Sasso OSU wins by decision over Beau Bartlett PSU, 4-2; PSU 13-3
157: Terrell Barraclough PSU wins by decision over Isaac Wilcox OSU 4-2, SV; PSU 16-3
165: Creighton Edsell PSU wins by decision over Kevon Freeman OSU, 2-0 SV; 19-3
174: Ethan Smith OSU wins by major decision over Mason Manville PSU, 15-5; PSU 19-7
184: Aaron Brooks PSU wins by fall over Rocky Jordan OSU, 3:20; PSU PSU 25-7
197: Max Dean PSU wins by decision over Gavin Hoffman OSU, 5-3 SV; PSU 28-7
285: Greg Kerkvliet PSU wins by major decision over Tate Orndorff OSU, 10-2; PSU 32-7
