I'm sorry. I tried to resist this "Penn State wrestling" post - but I couldn't
Posted on 02/01/2013 11:16:18 AM PST by FlJoePa
1 hour ago • By STEVE BATTERSON, sbatterson@qctimes.com (0) Comments
IOWA CITY --- When two-time defending NCAA champion Penn State rides into Carver-Hawkeye Arena tonight, Tom Brands is looking for a different type of rodeo.
The top-ranked Nittany Lions handled the third-ranked Hawkeyes a year ago, winning 22-12 at home and the Iowa wrestling coach expects an improved approach from his team in today’s 8 p.m. clash between the only remaining unbeaten teams in Big Ten action.
“The number one thing we need to do is fight,” Brands said.
As an example, Brands points to a 174-pound match in last year’s dual, a weight where current top-rated 184-pounder Ed Ruth rolled to a 10-1 major decision against Iowa’s Ethen Lofthouse.
“Ed Ruth threw a saddle on Ethen Lofthouse and rode him like a horse,” Brands said. “We cannot do that. There cannot be one period like that in this meet. There’s a lot of metaphors I could use to describe it, but we cannot have situations where we lay on the bottom and just don’t fight.”
Brands views Penn State’s first appearance in Iowa City since the 2009-10 season as an opportunity for Iowa (15-1, 5-0 Big Ten) to take another step forward.
“This is the big one,” Brands said. “We always talk about the next event on the calendar. This is the one you probably have highlighted and you point toward.”
Brands sees it as a chance to build on last weekend’s 16-15 win at then third-ranked Minnesota.
“It’s easier to make this meet meaningful because of the win last week. It’s about reaching the next step with some success,” Brands said. “I like our guys and I like the way we are coming along.”
Penn State (8-0, 5-0) will send eight rated wrestlers to the mat tonight, while Iowa will send nine. Combined, six wrestlers who competed in national championship matches last March and nine who are currently ranked in the top five in the country will compete.
That group includes three wrestlers currently rated as the best in the nation at their weight class, the Hawkeyes’ Matt McDonough at 125 pounds and Derek St. John at 157 and the Nittany Lions’ Ruth at 184.
McDonough, a winner in his last 41 matches, faces a rematch of the 2012 NCAA finals when he meets second-rated Nico Megaludis, a 16-1 sophomore who dropped a 4-1 decision to the Hawkeye senior in last year’s national championship.
“I’m going out there and I’m going to try everything I can to get that dual started off on the right note,” McDonough said. “That’s with high pace, that’s with a lot of scoring and some stingy wrestling.”
McDonough wants to provide a foundation for his teammates to build on, something that starts with individual success against an opponent who McDonough expects to be on the attack.
“I’ve had two matches against him and both of them were a battle. I’ve got to go out there and wrestle my match. When it comes down to it, it’s you against the other guy. You have to go out there with an iron will,” McDonough said.
“It’s a chance to wrestle to wrestle the best team in the country and in my specific case, the number one competitor in my weight next to me. It’s a chance to show everyone what you’re made of."
Is this "fuzzy math" or social promotion run amok? :)
There are 10 weight classes in NCAA wrestling, thus all the rankings and All Americans:
125 lb
133 lb
141 lb
149 lb
157 lb
165 lb
174 lb
184 lb
197 lb
Heavyweight (183 lb to 285 lb)
Still mad that we (Iowa State) lost Cael.
Well, all I can say is Thank You. I don’t think people know or understand Cael’s record (wrestling, not coaching). It really rivals anything in sports. The fact that he’s transitioned into such a great coach isn’t surprising, but appreciated. I would think that even with 16,000+ seats, tickets will be hard to come by for this one.
Go Gophers! I used to wrestle (hockey cheerleaders) in high school. My wrestling name was CanvasBack.
I attended Iowa State U. back in 1970.
Is it on anywhere besides the big ten network?
I'm sorry. I tried to resist this "Penn State wrestling" post - but I couldn't
I think you can stream it (free) from the B1G Network’s website. I don’t think there’s any other coverage.
Not at all surprising. I went to a clinic he put on a few months after he won his last NCAA title, and it was one of the best wrestling clinics I've ever seen. Great teacher.
I was at most of his college meets; was on his list to get passes into to the meets.
He became a family friend when he came to Iowa State.
Good guy; have some good stories about him.
Jerry Sandusky was clearly coaching the wrong sport.
As a fan of college wrestling and specifically as an Oklahoma State fan, I welcome Penn State back as a power. Prior to the last two years, it had been since 1953 for a championship and 1993 as a runner-up for Penn State. It looks like the national championships will be tough for all with just a few matches making the difference in points as they advance or go to the consolations.
Pedd State coaches and players have LOTS of experiences grabbing crotches and throwing boys down.
8th grade humor is so funny. It would be even funnier if you said it to Cael Sanderson’s face.
If the PSU top tier guys (Taylor, Ruth, Wright) can score lots of bonus points, PSU wins. if not, it could be close. Look to the 174 lb. match as the key (Brown vs. Evans).
Interesting observation. What does it have to do with wrestling? Penn State wrestling? Iowa wrestling? Anything?
I grew up in Stillwater, and my dad taught at OSU. Back then, you had four choices: football, baseball, basketball or wrestling. That was it. Wrestling was huge, and there was nothing like going to an OSU match, especially if OU or ISU were in town. It was crazy, and I remember as a young boy absolutely loving the sport and the rabid crowds.
Our youth wrestling program was sponsored by OSU, and many members of the team earned extra money coaching us. We moved to NJ some time later, another great wrestling state, and I was far ahead of the competition in skills thanks to the coaching by those OSU NCAA champions and All Americans.
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