Seven Tigers took wins in their weight class with junior Josh Wagner (Milton, Wis.) securing a fall in the second bout of the day. The stick at 149 pounds helped Missouri overcome a 4-0 deficit created after 17th-ranked freshman Ashtin Primus (South Connelsville, Penn.) suffered a 15-2 loss to eighth-ranked Dominic Moyer in the opening bout at 141 pounds.
Battling at 157 pounds, sophomore Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) was unable to overcome his Husker opponent, losing the match by a score of 4-3. Chandler and Chris Oliver entered the third period tied at three, but Oliver escaped with 1:12 left on the clock for the eventual one point win.
A victory at 165 pounds by seventh-ranked All-American Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.) was the start of a five bout Tiger win streak. The first of four Tiger wins by major decision, Pell scored six back points on Stephen Dwyer and accumulated 1:06 of riding time. Pell won the match 12-2.
Fan favorite senior Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.), Missouri's sole wrestling National Champion, rattled off a 20-9 victory over Marc Harwood at 174 pounds. Askren took down Harwood nine times and was taken down only once. Scoring a one point escape and tallying 2:54 of riding time, Askren bumped his season record to 28-0 while his career mark stands at 139-8.
"People that wrestle Ben [Askren] are going to wrestle not to get pinned," Head Coach Brian Smith said. "No one in Division I wrestling wants to get pinned, but Ben [Askren] just keeps wrestling and scoring points."
Sophomore Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) won his bout at 184 pounds with a 13-5 major decision of Levi Wofford. Ranked fifth in the country, Jordan scored first with a takedown 23 seconds into the dual giving up a reversal with 1:55 left on the clock. After Wofford was hit with a stall call at 1:04, Jordan escaped to take the 3-2 lead entering the second period. Never giving up his advantage, Jordan collected three takedowns in the third period to help Missouri to an 11 point team lead over the Huskers.
In a battle between two ranked freshmen Missouri's Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) proved dominant besting eighth-ranked Craig Brester, 11-3, at 197 pounds. Askren, ranked No. 1 in the country, was awarded three back points with one second remaining in the second period and scored three takedowns to take the win. Both Askren brothers own perfect records this season, with 197 pounder Maxwell in the books as 23-0.
After missing the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Cliff Keen Duals, redshirt freshman Mark Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.) returned to his winning ways by scoring a 10-5 decision over Nebraska's Cameron Browne. The heavyweights were tied at two entering the second period and Ellis recorded a three-point nearfall at the buzzer in the second to hold on to his lead and take the win.
Missouri redshirt freshman John Olanowski (Virginia Beach, Mo.) suffered a setback after losing 19-7 to 15th-ranked Paul Donahoe. In the end, Nebraska forfeited at 133 pounds giving the Tigers the 33-1 victory.
"This was a good win for us," Smith said. "It's always nice to start the Big 12 season with a win, especially over a good program like Nebraska's. Our guys went out and wrestled hard today. The fan support was great and made the environment that much more challenging for Nebraska. I'm hoping we can continue to draw even bigger crowds for our upcoming duals."
The Tigers will return to action Saturday, Feb. 3, when they take on fourth-ranked defending National Champion Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. (CT) in Gallagher Iba Arena. Following the dual with OSU, Missouri will travel to Norman, for a 3 p.m. (CT) meeting with 13th-ranked Oklahoma Sunday, Feb. 4
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