UNIVERSITY PARK — Anger and frustration are two themes the Penn State wrestling team engendered in its last opponent and most likely will encounter in its next one.
The No. 2 Nittany Lions instilled anger and frustration in No. 11 Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale on Jan. 13 in front of 6,605 fans in Rec Hall after a 37-6 spanking.
Penn State travels to Iowa City, Iowa, for a dual meet at 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20, with Iowa in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Hawkeyes coach Tom Brands will most likely still be seething over a 24-11 loss at the hands of No. 1 Oklahoma State on Jan. 15.
First, a look back at another lopsided Penn State win before stealing a peak ahead at what should be an entertaining dual meet scheduled for Big Ten Network.
The Nittany Lions secured their 24th straight dual meet win by winning eight of 10 bouts and dominating on their feet, piling up a 30-9 edge in takedowns.
As expected, the two head coaches had divergent views of the night.
“It wasn’t great. We got overwhelmed in a lot of matches and gave up a lot of bonus points. We didn’t really compete. I think we came here with the mindset that we wanted to compete, but the reality is you get against a certain animal and you have to match his intensity,” Goodale said.
“In a lot of cases, we didn’t do that. We were outmatched at a lot of weights, but you have to fight, and fight hard, if you want to perform up to your standards. We didn’t do that.”
Not surprisingly, coach Cael Sanderson seemed quite pleased by the outcome and the effort needed to produce it.
“We lost a couple matches early but sometimes it just depends where the matchups are. Rutgers is a good team,” Sanderson said.
“They have some good wrestlers that were just in the same weight of some of our guys that are really good as well. That is the dual meet aspect. It’s just how you randomly draw and match up with your opposing team. It was a fun match. I think the fans had a good time. When they come after you like they did, it makes it fun for everyone.”
The Nittany Lions scored two falls, three technical falls, a major decision and two decisions.
Five Nittany Lions — Nick Suriano (125), Zain Retherford (149), Jason Nolf (157), Bo Nickal (184) and Nick Nevills (285) — recorded bonus-point wins to remain undefeated.
Suriano, ranked No. 3 at 125 pounds, cruised to a 16-2 major decision over Brandon Paetzell to start the night.
Rutgers grabbed a short-lived lead with wins at 133 and 141.
Scott DelVecchio secured a decision at 133, using two takedowns in each of the first and third periods in an 11-4 win over George Carpenter, who was subbing for a still-injured Jered Cortez.
No. 6 Anthony Ashnault parlayed two first-period takedowns into a 4-1 win over No. 12 Jimmy Gulibon at 141.
Top-ranked 149-pounder Retherford vaulted Penn State back into the lead for good. He rolled up a 13-3 lead on No. 14 Ken Theobold before reversing the Scarlet Knight to his back and sticking him in 5:33.
No. 1 157-pounder Nolf followed suit, amassing a 22-4 technical fall in 4:09 over No. 16 John Van Brill.
Fourth-ranked Vincenzo Joseph increased Penn State’s lead to 20-6 as he scored 13 second-period points to notch a 19-3 technical fall in 4:55 over Willie Scott.
“I think (Vincenzo’s) improving overall, all positions, his finishes, his shots, his tie-ups, his snaps. He’s getting better on top. He’s not a guy that probably tried to wrestle on top a lot but in college that makes a big difference in close matches,” Sanderson said.
“He’s looking better. I think his confidence is continuing to improve. He’s wrestling really well. He’s scoring with a number of different attacks. His defense is solid.
‘We’re happy where Vincenzo’s at. And I think he’s just doing a better job with his weight. His weight’s great right now. He’s a tough kid, so he’s always gonna wrestle hard. He’s a lot more solid when he does a better job with his weight.”
At 174, No. 14 Geno Morelli gave the Nittany Lions their fourth win in a row with a narrow 5-3 decision over Phillip Bakuckas.
Nickal, ranked No. 2 at 184, was locked in a close, contentious match with No. 14 Nicholas Gravina. Nickal led 2-0 and started the second on bottom when Gravina got a bit high with his ride. Nickal stepped through, grabbed Gravina’s leg and then reached back over Gravina’s head with his other arm, trapped the Knight’s head and flipped him hard to his back. He eventually flattened him for a fall in 4:27.
Retherford called Nickal’s move “The Secret Move.” Nickal said he and Retherford collaborated on creating it.
“We’ve been working on it for about a year and a half now. I’ve been waiting to bust it out,” Nickal said.
Goodale said Gravina was trying to do too much.
“Our kid throws a Merkle. He doesn’t throw a Merkle. He’s not wrestling within himself and these guys play wrestle a lot. Bo Nickal has a feel for every, single position,” he said.
“(Gravina) got out of position and (Nickal) went head hunting and scored a fall. Good for him. That kid’s tough. If you’re going to lose, go down swinging with your best stuff. Don’t do things you shouldn’t be doing.”
No. 11 Matt McCutcheon escaped midway through the third period and held off Matthew Correnti for a 4-3 win at 197.
And, at 285, fifth-ranked Nick Nevills scored three takedowns in each period to fuel a 24-9 technical fall in 6:57 over Ralphy Normandia.
“It’s a lot more enjoyable to go out there and get takedowns rather than have some of the closer matches that I’ve had,” Nevills said.
“The coaches have been stressing going out and being more offensive and getting the takedowns I’m capable of getting. It was a nice match to go out there and open up more. It was fun. If that’s what I have to do, it’s not bad to take a tech fall for the team. I can live with that.”
PENN STATE AT IOWA
The Nittany Lions and Hawkeyes routinely put on a show when they meet on the mats. This meeting should be especially compelling considering the venue and the fact that Iowa was dominated in Stillwater, Okla.
The Hawkeyes figure to be spoiling for a fight, looking to bounce back from a frustrating loss, fueled by a passionate home crowd.
The latest rankings came out after press time, but if each team sends out a fully healthy lineup, as many as 18 ranked wrestlers could take the mat.
Three weights — 125, 149 and 157 — could feature matchups between wrestlers ranked in the top five of their respective weights and three of the nation’s 10 top-ranked wrestlers.
Another two weights — 184 and 285 — could feature matchups between wrestlers ranked in the top 10 of their respective weights.
Iowa is probably considered a clear favorite at two weights. Penn State is probably a clear favorite at three weights. Most would consider the other five tossups.
With that much potential volatility, trying to divine weight-by-weight winners is probably a fool’s errand. However, one educated guess is that even with home-mat advantage and the Hawkeyes’ motivation to rebound after a loss, Penn State will have enough talent to counteract that and record a close win.
One thing that isn’t hard to predict — if you’re close to a television or radio on Friday night, Jan. 20, you’ll want to pay attention.
No. 2 Penn State 37
No. 11 Rutgers 6
(Jan. 13 at University Park)
125: No. 3 Nick Suriano, PSU, maj. dec. Brandon Paetzell, 16-2.
133: Scott DelVecchio, RU, dec. George Carpenter, 11-4.
141: No. 6 Anthony Ashnault, RU, dec. No. 12 Jimmy Gulibon, 4-1.
149: No. 1 Zain Retherford, PSU, pinned No. 14 Ken Theobold, 5:33.
157: No. 1 Jason Nolf, PSU, won by tech. fall over No. 16 John Van Brill, 22-4 (4:09).
165: No. 4 Vincenzo Joseph, PSU, won by tech. fall over Willie Scott, 19-3 (4:55).
174: No. 14 Geno Morelli, PSU, dec. Phillip Bakuckas, 5-3.
184: No. 2 Bo Nickal, PSU, pinned No. 14 Nicholas Gravina, 4:27.
197: No. 11 Matt McCutcheon, PSU, dec. Matthew Correnti, 4-3.
285: No. 5 Nick Nevills, PSU, won by tech. fall over Ralphy Normandia, 24-9 (6:57).
Ridge Riley Award winner: Bo Nickal, 184 pounds.
Attendance: 6,606.
Referees: Jim Rivello, Mike Millward.
Takedowns: Rutgers 8; Penn State 30.
Records: Rutgers 7-2, 2-1 Big Ten; Penn State 7-0, 3-0.
Next match: Oregon State at Rutgers, 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20; Penn State at Iowa, 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20.
