What did Iowa coach Tom Brands have to say about Penn State and Cael Sanderson before the Lions-Hawkeyes match?
A top-five college wrestling match is on deck Friday night in the Big Ten. The No. 1 Penn State Nittany Lions invade Carver-Hawkeye Arena for a showdown with No. 3 Iowa at 9 p.m. ET. Big Ten Network will televise the dual, which will feature multiple top-10 matchups. A sellout crowd is expected.
Both head coaches held their weekly news conference on Tuesday. Each knows the outcome will impact the Big Ten regular season championship chase. The Lions have beaten the Hawkeyes two years in a row.
“We have to make it a tough battle,” Iowa’s Tom Brands said. “This is going to be a tough one. We’re excited. We’re looking forward to it. And away we go. We’re close.”
Added Lions leader Cael Sanderson, who seeks his 200th dual meet triumph as the Penn State head coach:
“I think wrestling at Iowa is a lot of fun,” Sanderson said. “Their fans know the support. Their event staff is second to known. We watch and say what can we learn from this? And then they have one of the best athletic programs in all of sports in their wrestling team. So, it’s a great place to compete. Everywhere we wrestle, we generally see a big crowd. Here, it’s standing room only. So we wrestle in big environments all the time. So from that standpoint, it’s not as big of a deal.
“You kind of get what you focus on. If you’re focused on your match, then that’s probably the best idea. And, just keep things simple.”
You can watch Sanderson’s full media session above and read highlights from it HERE. Below, we recap Brands’ chat with reporters.
Iowa is not looking back at the Michigan match
Penn State has won 52 straight dual meets. In its most recent match, it toppled Ohio State 28-9 at Rec Hall. The Hawkeyes, meanwhile, suffered their first defeat last Friday at the hands of Michigan, who scored a blowout upset win over Iowa in Ann Arbor.
“We have to perform better,” Brands said. “We know that. Onward, forward, and looking ahead. I know that there is regret. When there is regret, there’s a little bit of thorn, or burr, under your saddle, and it’s time to go. I don’t look at things like that as a positive. You have to make it a positive. It’s easier to go forward with wins, always. It didn’t go our way. I’m not ever one to say that’s going to be good for us. But if you were on the wrong end of it individually, right the wrong.”
Sanderson a ‘worthy opponent’
Brands and Sanderson have faced off numerous times over the years. Iowa leads the all-time series between the schools. But Penn State has had more success of late.
“He is a worthy opponent,” Brands said. “I’ve said that a lot. We have to be ready. That’s our competition this week. He’s been the best in the last decade or longer. He’s been the standard.
“The level of competition is rising again. We have to be ready.”
Odds and ends
–Brands said that freshman Gabe Arnold would wrestle at some point in the future. He did not say whether or not that would be Friday night. The Hawkeye is capable of wrestling at either 174 or 184 pounds. If he is in the latter, he’s likely to slot into the latter spot to face Penn State first-year wrestler Bernie Truax.
–In a similar vein, it’s unclear if the Hawkeyes’ 133-pounder, Brody Teske, will enter the lineup or not. He did not wrestle last weekend.
–Iowa will send. No. 12 Caleb Rathjen to the mat against No. 10 Penn State freshman Tyler Kasak at 149 pounds. There was some ambiguity there. Sophomore Victor Voinovich III is in contention for that starting spot in the Iowa lineup, as well. But, it will be Rathjen on Friday night.
“We have a situation there,” Brands said. “[Rathjen] is in the rankings. That means we picked him. That doesn’t mean Voinovich is out of it. We have two guys there that are sorting it out. I don’t really know who’s leading. I think both guys have had and will have opportunities. This is an opportunity, and it’s going Rathjen’s way this weekend, and we have to be ready to go. He has to be ready to go against a top-10, talented freshman.”
