B1G Ten Weekly Recap (12/18/2024)

Ohio State vs. Pittsburgh - You know who showed some fight on the road this past weekend? The Buckeyes did. Depth is a good thing to have in a room, but at the same time, it’s not always super exciting to have to rely on it. There are fewer questions or variables to deal with when you have the full starting lineup to compete, but injuries happen and that’s part of the sport.

As Dan Campbell says, “... if you’re a guy who’s on the vet squad, or you’re a young player (wrestler in this instance), or you’re somebody that’s been dying to get an opportunity, you’re about to get it.” I love Dan Campbell. Ohio State moved some of their guys around and brought guys on this trip to Pittsburgh to give them that opportunity. Now Pittsburgh is tough, so they started strong taking the first 4 bouts of the match. However, the Buckeyes stormed back and got the next five in a row to the tune of three major decisions, a tech fall, and a regular decision. That’s how you get a 20-17 win on the road without your full squad. In dual meet formats, wins are the best, but limiting the other team to regular decisions is also a valuable asset, and that’s largely what Ohio State was able to do at some of these weights. The Buckeyes look to continue their winning ways (they’re 4-0 on the season so far) as they travel to Nashville this weekend for the Collegiate Duals on 12/21 as they look to take on North Carolina, Lock Haven, and Iowa State.

Michigan State vs. CSU Bakersfield - We knew going into this season that the Spartans were going to have some youth in their lineup. With that comes the double-edged sword of getting good experience, while also taking on a tough schedule inside and outside of the B1G. In this case, the Spartans traveled to Bakersfield, California to take on the Roadrunners as one of their last out-of-conference duals of the season. 

Michigan State started strong with a tech fall for Ceasar Garza, who is originally from Oakdale, California (a quick three-and-a-half-hour drive from Bakersfield. California is humongous). From there, it was a string of Bakersfield wins, with three major decisions in a row followed by close matches at 125 and 133, also Bakersfield wins. Caleb Weiand had a close 8-7 loss at 125 to almost stop the bleeding, followed by Tristan Lujan dropping the match at 133, 4-1. The Spartans had a run of their own with wins at 141, 149, and 157, but regular decisions only get you three team points a piece, and the Spartans found themselves trailing by four heading into the final match at 165. Guillermo Escobedo was able to secure the OT win in tiebreakers over Jay Nivison to secure the win for Cal State Bakersfield. The best lessons come from losses, or at least that’s what I tell my kids, but I do genuinely believe it. Hopefully, this can be a wakeup to the Spartan squad that has plenty of talent and will look to rebound as they head to the Midlands on 12/29.

PSU vs. Wyoming - Penn State took care of business as expected. The number one team in the nation flexed its muscles with a 54-0 shutout over Wyoming. Unfortunately, the two best matchups, on paper, didn’t materialize as Wyoming’s Jore Volk (125) and Joey Novak (197) were banged up. 

Penn State recorded pins in half of their ten wins with Beau Bartlett, Shayne Van Ness, Levi Haines, Carter Starocci, and Josh Barr all getting falls. 

Penn State will also travel to the Collegiate Duals and take on Binghamton, #16 Little Rock, and #15 Missouri.