Penn State vs Ohio State
Ben Askren and Matt Dernlan begin by talking about how this weekend was full of action-packed duals, matchups, and upsets. During a special live podcast, Askren, Dernlan, and special guest Tommy Rowlands made their predictions on the outcomes of the Penn State vs Ohio State dual. The outcome wasn’t as close as many thought it would be between a No. 1 ranked team vs a No. 6. Askren says this dual tells everyone a lot about what to expect at the NCAA tournament.
A Surprising Start (1:42)
Roman-Bravo Young made his return to the lineup at 133 lbs. He also kicked off the dual at 133 lbs after Ohio State opted to draw for the start weight. When Askren and Dernlan were making their predictions they were fully convinced RBY wouldn’t be in the lineup. RBY’s knee was taped up but nothing to the extent that would hint at a wrestler recovering from a full-blown ACL. RBY was able to ride out No. 6 Luke Pletcher in second tiebreaker period to take home a 2-1 victory upset. Askren talks about how big of a win this is for RBY. Dernlan brings up how even though RBY beat the No. 6 guy, this late in the season it doesn’t factor in an extreme amount. RBY went from 15 to the No. 11 ranked at 133 lbs. If RBY can string together a few more big wins he’ll most likely end up a top 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Nick Lee vs Joey McKenna (11:53)
Lee was the next upset in the dual at 141 lbs with the 7-6 victory over McKenna. Dernlan saw McKenna’s energy fade later in the match. He believes this could be because of the weight cut as well as recovering from injury.
Micah Jordan vs Jarod Verkleeren (15:20)
Micah Jordan put a stop to the Penn State run with his controversial win over Verkleeren at 149 lbs 10-8. Askren can’t decide whether Jordan wrestled poorly or Verkleeren wrestled really well. Askren and Dernlan agree that the stall calls issued against Verkleeren by the official was warranted and doesn’t understand the public upset. Penn State should start Verkleeren over Brady Berge at 149 lbs after this performance is Askren’s takeaway. Berge showed struggles with making 149. Being forced to do so multiple days in a row like at the NCAA tournament could be a real problem. When Dernlan was a coach he would weight check his wrestlers every day. It’s possible Penn State and Cael Sanderson need Berge to prove he can make 149 consecutively before they feel comfortable committing to him.
Nolf, Next Topic (25:28)
To no surprise to Dernlan or Askren, Jason Nolf got the tech fall over Ke-Shawn Hayes 21-6.
Vincenzo Joseph vs Te’Shawn Campbell (25:56)
Joseph continued the dominant Penn State performance with a major decision over Campbell 11-2. This was another one that was of no surprise to Askren and Dernlan. This brings up the topic of people comparing Joseph to other Penn State wrestling elite. Dernlan says there is a beauty to Josephs simplicity and fundamentals.
Mark Hall vs Ethan Smith (30:59)
No. 1 Hall pulled off a 12-4 major decision over Ethan Smith. Askren and Dernlan agree Smith wrestles really hard but he still remains on the outside looking in as far as All-American goes. By the time 174 lbs came up the Penn State momentum was rolling and it’s really hard to stop.
Myles Martin vs Mason Manville (32:23)
Penn State chose to wrestle Manville against Martin. Askren calls it feeding Manville to the wolves. Martin secured the major decision over Manville 18-6.
Bo Nickal vs Kollin Moore (39:40)
Bo Nickal pinned Moore in 1:38. During the prediction podcast, Dernlan called the Pin over No. 2 Moore. Nolf and Nickal are in a league of their own at their respective weight classes.
Takeaways
Dernlan poses this question to Askren: If you’re a head coach what do you tell your team after this matchup? If Askren was OSU’s head coach he would remind them how close it was for some of them. He would tell them to not dwell on the loss and focus on their last two duals. Dernlan agrees you can’t use that excuse much but sometimes you have to recalibrate and move on. Don’t let this outcome scare you or allow for doubt to creep in. Top tier guys like McKenna and Moore are going to stay locked in and aren’t going to let this loss ruin their season.
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Ben Askren and Matt Dernlan host the RUDIS Wrestling Podcast. Askren, World Champion, and Olympic Wrestler joins in official partnership as a content provider for all things RUDIS. Matt Dernlan joins from years of experience in D1 college coaching at Binghamton, Clarion, and Penn State University.
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