Nebraska claimed three-straight victories to open the dual, but a Wisconsin comeback capped by a Andrew Howe fall at 165 pounds closed the Husker lead to 20-17 with one match remaining. Dwyer, who is ranked No. 6 in the nation at 174 pounds, broke a 3-3 tie in the third period when he pinned Brendan Ard in 5:25 to send Nebraska away with its 15th consecutive victory in season openers.
The Huskers won 6 of 10 matches overall and grabbed a nine-point lead (20-11) with two bouts remaining when defending national champion Jordan Burroughs pinned Wisconsin’s Greg Burke at 157 pounds in just 25 seconds. The senior from Sicklerville, N.J., registered a takedown 11 seconds into the match, before putting Burke away with the sixth fall of his career and 86th overall victory. Burroughs’ pin (0:25) is the quickest fall by a Husker in a varsity match during the Big 12 era.
Nebraska also turned in a pair of major decision wins from senior Craig Brester (197 pounds) and junior Mike Koehnlein (141 pounds). Brester defeated Jackson Hein, 14-2, behind three takedowns and a near fall in the first period, while Koehnlein used two near falls en route to a 12-2 triumph over Trey Bertram.
Koehnlein was one of five newcomers in the NU startling lineup, including 184-pound redshirt freshman Josh Ihnen, who opened the dual with a 6-1 decision over Jimmy Duffy. Ihnen’s win was the first of three Husker victories to start the match, which was concluded by an exciting 4-3 overtime decision from sophomore Tucker Lane at Heavywight. Lane and Eric Bugenhagen went to overtime tied at 1-1 and remained even at the end of three overtime periods, when Lane was declared the winner due to a one-second riding time advantage.
Wisconsin won matches at 125, 133, 149 and 165 pounds.
Nebraska will now send its top wrestlers to the 44th annual NWCA All-Star Classic, as Burroughs, Dwyer and Brester were invited to the prestigious event in Fullerton, Calif., next Sunday, Nov. 22. Meanwhile, the majority of the Huskers will travel to down Interstate-80 to the Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha, Neb., on Saturday, Nov. 21.
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