The First Week of B1G Competition

The first weekend of Big Ten dual meet competition got underway last week and we were served up some great individual matchups and what may be the dual meet upset of the year.

Is this the most dominant Penn State has ever been?

Penn State now has four duals in which they have shut out their opponent this season. And in three of those four shutouts, they put up 50+ points in each one. Last weekend was their fourth shutout as they kicked off their Big Ten dual meet slate against Michigan State where each victory came with bonus points – 6 falls, 3 technical falls, and a major. Even though losing isn’t much of a thing for the top-ranked, reigning National Champions, the matches they have lost have come only against guys currently ranked #1. Additionally, nine of their 10 starters are ranked in the top five with true freshman Luke Lilledahl being the highest ranked at #12. This just might be the most high-powered team that PSU has ever had.

Minnesota vs Nebraska was as expected

After taking their first loss of the season in a non-conference dual to start the year, the Huskers bounced back with a 21-13 win over Minnesota to get the ball rolling in conference competition. Things got off to a hot start with Antrell Taylor and Tommy Askey needing sudden victory to settle their top 10 matchup and it was Taylor finishing a strong takedown to get the win. Nebraska would end up taking the first three bouts before the Gophers responded with three straight bonus point wins from standout freshman Max McEnelly, Isaiah Salazar, and Gable Steveson, respectively. But that would be it for Minnesota because the Huskers would go on to take the last 4 bouts to get the dual meet win. Close wins by Caleb Smith, Jacob Van Dee, and Brock Hardy had the crowd on their feet before Ridge Lovett wrapped things up with a 5-0 decision over Drew Roberts.

Maryland’s weekend sweep in Michigan

The Terrapins had a great weekend in Michigan beginning with a 19-18 win at the Crisler Center over the Wolverines. Maryland won all the swing matches other than heavyweight, but it was the strength of a Braxton Brown pin at 133, that won them the dual on criteria. There have been a couple of solid dual wins for Maryland over the years, but this one was especially helpful coming off losses to Binghamton and Columbia a week ago. In addition to the pin for Brown, the Terps needed some other action even in losses to get this win. A year ago, Sergio Lemley won by technical fall over Dario Lemus, but this time it was a close match with Lemus getting a takedown late in the match, which kept it at a regular decision win for Lemley. Additionally, Branson John claimed a win over Joseph Walker with a late takedown at 174 as well. Lastly, the big throw from Jaxon Smith to secure the win over Jaden Bullock was ultimately the last points that Maryland needed for the win. Two days later, they completed their Michigan sweep with a solid win over Michigan State in East Lansing where they won 7 of the 10 matches. They’ll continue their attack on the B1G at home as they host the Badgers this Friday.

Ohio State overcomes tough weekend

This weekend was a gauntlet for the Buckeyes, and they got all the right answers in these questionable duals. Beginning with previously undefeated Illinois, they got a dominant 24-9 win. Ohio State held the Fighting Illini to just three regular decisions in what was supposed to be a more competitive dual. e’Than Birden had a solid win over Braeden Scoles at 165, paired with another upset with Seth Shumate beating Zac Braunagel at 197 to help Ohio State cruise to its first B1G dual win of the season. Finishing off the weekend they had to sweat it out a bit against Rutgers, but ultimately Nick Feldman got the late takedown to remain undefeated against Rutgers. This dual had a ton of back-and-forth matches, including splitting OT matches at 149 and 165. The Scarlet Knights claimed a pair of wins with late takedowns at 133 and 197. Ohio State continued to shuffle some guys around in their lineup, with Sammy Sasso getting the start at 157 against Rutgers, while Gallagher got the start against Illinois earlier on in the weekend. We’ll see how the B1G schedule helps them make some decisions in their lineup and what their postseason roster looks like. Up next, they host Purdue on Sunday afternoon.

Iowa dominates Wisconsin

So far this season Iowa has been awesome, even with all the lineup juggling they’ve done. On the heels of a shutout win over Wisconsin, 45-0, it’s easy to declare them as awesome. Wisconsin is having its troubles, and they weren’t the only B1G team to be shut out this weekend, but any loss like this is devastating. All season, this is what Iowa has been doing. They are 7-0 and have a 30-7 win over Oregon State, a 32-9 win over Stanford, 21-15 over Iowa State, and a 23-16 win over Army. As we’ve said before, they have an embarrassment of riches floating between 174 and 184, to go along with big transfers Kyle Parco, Jacori Teemer (once he’s healthy again), and Stephen Buchanan. Once again, I’m not making the claim that Wisconsin is a world-beater of a team, but I am still impressed with the shutout win because the Hawks needed an upset at 125 to make it happen. Next, they’ll host Illinois which is coming off of a tough loss to Ohio State. Some fun matches there should include Lucas Byrd against Drake Ayala at 133, Kyle Parco against Kannon Webster at 149, and whichever stud they send out at 184 to take on Edmond Ruth. Look for that action Friday night on B1G Network.