Freshman Ben Ashmore opened his Bedlam career with an impressive 6-0 win over Joey Fio. Ashmore picked up takedowns in the first and third periods and tacked on 2:47 riding time to give the Cowboys a quick 3-0 lead.
The Cowboys picked up decisions from seniors Coleman Scott and Nathan Morgan, who were wrestling in their final home Bedlam dual. Scott scored a narrow 1-0 victory over OU 133-pounder Brian Shelton, while Morgan cruised to a 9-4 decision over 15th-ranked Sooner 141-pounder Zack Bailey.
"I want more. I understand what this team needs to do to be successful and we didn't do enough today," Oklahoma State coach John Smith said. "The positive we can take from this, other than winning, is that we got some takedowns when we needed to get them."
OU jumped on the board at 149 pounds with Will Rowe's 10-4 decision over Quinten Fuentes. Late in the third period Rowe looked to be headed towards a major decision, but Fuentes scored a late escape and takedown to hold the Sooners to three team points.
The next three matches essentially put the dual away as the Cowboys picked up three straight wins to stretch the lead to 18-3.
Newly McSpadden started the run with a solid performance in a 6-1 decision over Chad Terry. Following a scoreless first period, McSpadden exploded with takedowns in each of the last two periods and picked up 1:39 riding time.
Senior transfer and 165-pounder Jake Dieffenbach was another Cowboy to earn a victory in his first Bedlam match, claiming a hard-fought 3-2 victory over No. 16 Max Dean with a second period takedown being the difference in the match.
"I haven't wrestled in front of that many people, so that got the nerves out of me real quickly," Dieffenbach said. "(Dean) is a guy who likes to slow down the match and work on your head and I feel like I wrestled at his pace. I didn't do what I wanted, but it's still good to get a win."
"This was a good win for Jake Dieffenbach," Smith said. "He got more aggressive in the second period. Make no mistake, his opponent was a top-10 guy who is a quality opponent."
Fifth-ranked Brandon Mason pushed the Cowboy lead to 15 with a 5-0 decision over Jeff James at 174 pounds. Mason picked up two takedowns and an escape in the victory.
The Sooners finally jumped back on the board when 11th-ranked 184-pounder Josh Weitzel outlasted Cowboy freshman Cody Hill, 3-2. Hill was the aggressor all match, but Weitzel rode him out the entire third period and his 1:17 riding time proved to be the difference.
At 197, true OSU freshman Clayton Foster had a third period rally fall just short against ninth-ranked Joel Flaggert, ultimately falling, 12-10. Foster trailed, 8-4 after two periods and after a wild third period, nearly took Flaggert down in the final seconds to send the match into overtime.
The Cowboys closed out the dual with a 6-3 decision by 10th-ranked Jared Rosholt at heavyweight over No. 20 Nathan Fernandez. Rosholt picked up two takedowns in the third period to secure the win and tacked on 1:11 riding time to give the Cowboys a 21-9 final score.
"We want to outscore our opponents late," Smith said. "If you outscore your opponent in the third period, you'll come out on the winning end a lot of the time."
The Cowboys return to action next Sunday, December 9 when they host No. 6 Penn State.
"It was good to get this win today, but we've got to get ready for maybe the best team Penn State has ever had," Smith said.
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