Huskers Set for Big 12 Opener Against Tigers

Lincoln -- The third-ranked Nebraska wrestling team (15-1) hopes to extend its seven-match winning streak and 11-match home dual winning streak as it plays host to the fourth-ranked Missouri Tigers (10-1) for its first conference dual of the year on Jan. 24, in Lincoln, Neb. The dual will begin at 7 p.m. at the NU Coliseum.

Scouting the Opponent
The Tigers enter this weekend's match after placing second at the National Duals on Jan. 17-18 in Cleveland, Ohio. Missouri has also earned a first-place showing at the Southern Scuffle, while adding a third-place showing at the Las Vegas Invitational. The Missouri lineup features nine ranked wrestlers according to the W.I.N rankings (Jan. 20).

#13 Paul Collum (So., 133) -- First-year starter Paul Collum was a junior college national champion at Iowa Central in 2003 before enrolling at Missouri.

#13 J.P. Reese (Sr., 141) -- Three-year starter J.P. Reese leads the team in falls with 12 and is tied for the team lead in wins with 22. Last season he went 2-1 against Nebraska. This season he was upset by Matt Murray, 5-4 in overtime at the Las Vegas Invitational

#6 Jeremy Spates (Sr., 149) --Spates enters the dual with the Huskers with a 19-4 record and has recorded three top-three finishes. At the Las Vegas Invitational, Spates was pinned by Travis Shufelt in the finals.

#8 Kenny Burleson (Sr., 157)-- Burleson is tied for the team lead in wins with 22 and leads the Tigers in technical falls with three. He has also recorded a first-place finish at the Southern Scuffle and fourth-place finish at the Las Vegas Invitational. He has 106 career wins.

#9 Tyron Woodley (Jr., 165) -- An All-American in 2003, Woodley is the ninth Tiger wrestler to achieve 100 career victories. This season, he has recorded a fourth-place showing at the Las Vegas Invitational. He posted two victories last season against NU.

#6 Ben Askren (Fr., 174) -- First year starter Ben Askren is one of four Tigers ranked in the top-10. He is currently second on the team in wins with 20.

#11 Matt Pell (So., 184) --Pell is tied for the team lead in wins with 22 and has recorded one top-five finish this season.

#18 Jeff Foust (So., 197) -- Foust has been a steady force for the Tigers compiling an 16-9 record.

#11 Mike Whitehead (Sr., HWT) -- A first year starter, Whitehead is 17-4 on the season. At last week's National Duals he went 3-1 for the Tigers.

The Tigers are coached by Brian Smith who is in his sixth year with the Tigers. Smith owns a record of 60-39-1 at MU and a 62-47-2 record overall in seven seasons.

A win for NU would....

• Give the Huskers its 16th dual victory of the year tying last year's win total and Nebraska's most dual victories during the Manning tenure.
• Break a two-match losing streak against the Tigers. 
• Give NU its 34th victory against the Tigers, the most against any opponent in school history.
• Mark the second straight year the Huskers defeated a top-five team.
• Mark the first time since 2000-01 that NU won an opening Big 12 dual.

The Last Time We Met
The Huskers lead the all-time series against the Tigers, 33-15-3. The Huskers have won 12 of the last 15 matches. Last season in Columbia, Mo. the Huskers dropped a 23-14 decision to the Tigers. The Huskers jumped out to a 7-0 lead winning the first two matches, before Missouri responded by winning the next three matches to take the lead for good.

Last Time Out
The Huskers went 2-0 last weekend recording victories against Air Force, 43-3 on Friday and Wyoming, 33-9 on Saturday. Against the Falcons NU won nine of 10 matches, while scoring bonus points in six of them. The 43 points scored by the Huskers marked the sixth time this season the Huskers have reached the 40-point mark. After falling down 9-0, redshirt freshman Dominick Moyer scored a fall over Matthew Benza for his first career dual victory, while Chad Sportelli scored a late takedown to upset No. 19 Heath McKim, 6-4. Following the Air Force victory, The Huskers notched their seventh straight win as they won seven of 10 matches against the Cowboys. The win against the Cowboys marked Head Coach Mark Manning's 50th win at NU.

Huskers on Winning Streak
After each posting two victories this past weekend against Air Force and Wyoming, juniors Travis Pascoe and Travis Shufelt extended their individual win streaks to 21 and 22 matches, respectively.  Top-ranked Jason Powell saw his 18-match win streak come to an end when he was upset by Bryce Leonhardt, 3-1. As a team, the Huskers are currently on a seven match win streak.

Huskers Rolling Up the Points
After recording 30 or more points last weekend against both Air Force and Wyoming, the Huskers have now scored 30 or more points in 14 of their last 16 duals.

Huskers Reach 15 Dual Wins
With wins against Air Force and Wyoming, the Huskers raised their season win total to 15. The 15 wins are the second most in Mark Manning’s four seasons at Nebraska. He is one wins short of tying last season’s high of 16. This season also marks the 12th time since 1990-91 that NU has recorded double-digit wins. This also mark third time in four seasons that NU has reached the 10-win plateau under Manning. This season marks the 12th time in school history Nebraska has reached 15 wins.

With six duals remaining, the Huskers are six wins short of tying the school record for season dual victories of 21, set in 1989-90.

Pascoe Garners Big 12 Wrestler of the Month
Junior Travis Pascoe earned the Big 12 Conference December Wrestler-of-the-Month honor the Big 12 offices announced Monday, Jan. 5. Pascoe, a Rathdrum, Idaho native, posted nine victories in December to improve to a perfect 15-0 overall in the 184-pound weight class. Pascoe is currently ranked third in the nation according to W.I.N. Magazine. He posted three technical falls, along with one major decision, a pin and forfeit last month.

On Dec. 5-6 at the Cliff Keen Invitational, Pascoe led the Huskers to their first team tournament title since the 1999 Billy Sheridan Invitational as he won the 184-pound title by defeating two ranked opponents in Las Vegas in No. 19 Luke Calvert of Army (10-4) and eighth-ranked Blake Kaplan of Ohio State in the championship round.

At the Nebraska Duals on Dec. 22, Pascoe went 3-0 while leading the Huskers to victories over Nebraska-Kearney (46-0), Chadron State (45-0) and Dana College (44-3).

Who’s Hot Among Husker Wrestlers
Travis Shufelt, Jr., 149, Oconto, Wis. -- The Oconto, Wisc. native is off to a dominating start, compiling a 22-0 record, including 16-0 in dual matches. He is tied for first on the team in falls with sophomore B.J. Padden, tied for second on the team in technical falls (three), dual takedowns (55) and dual points (72). Of Shufelt’s 22 wins, 16 have earned the Huskers bonus points. Of his last 11 matches, nine have earned bonus points. Shufelt earned a first-place finish at the Cliff Keen Invitational on Dec. 5-6.

Travis Pascoe, Jr., 184, Rathdrum, Idaho -- After a change in weight class, Pascoe is 19-0, which includes a first-place showing at the Cliff Keen Invitational on Dec. 5-6. The team leader in takedowns with 59, Pascoe has only been taken to the mat four times. Thirteen of Pascoe’s last 15 wins have earned the Huskers bonus points. Pascoe also leads the Huskers in technical falls with five.

B.J. Padden, So., 197, Buffalo County, S.D. -- Currently ranked third in the country, sophomore B.J. Padden has already surpassed last season win total of 17. Of Padden's 18 wins, 13 have resulted in bonus points, including 11 pins, which is tied for first on the team with junior Travis Shufelt. He opened the season by recording four falls in his first five wins.

Nathan McClain, Sr., HWT, Flora Vista, N.M. -- McClain is off to a 17-4 record, while taking over for an injured Mitch Manstedt. McClain leads the team in major decisions with nine and is third on the team in takedowns with 47. At the Cliff Keen Invitational, McClain earned a seventh-place finish. McClain has matched his win total from all of last season. He currently ranked 14th according to W.I.N. magazine.

Huskers in the Rankings
In the latest W.I.N Magazine rankings, the Huskers are ranked third behind Big 12 rival, Oklahoma State (No.1) and Michigan. Missouri follows at No. 4 three spots ahead of Iowa State with Oklahoma rounding out the Big 12 schools at No. 9.

In individual rankings, senior 125-pounder Jason Powell is No.1 according to W.I.N. Redshirt freshman 133-pounder Matt Keller enters at No. 12, followed by junior Matt Murray, who is 12th, at 141 pounds. Junior Travis Shufelt is ranked third at 149 pounds.

Junior B.J. Wright is 13th (157) while sophomore Jacob Klein is 18th at 165 pounds, junior Travis Pascoe is fourth at 184 pounds, and senior heavyweight Nathan McClain is 14th. Sophomore B.J. Padden is third at 197 pounds.

In other wrestling rankings, the Nebraska is fourth in the nation behind Big 12 rival Oklahoma State, Illinois and Missouri according to the wrestling mall rankings. Jason Powell continues his strong hold on the No. 1 ranking at the 125 pound weight class. Sophomore B.J. Padden is currently ranked fourth, while Travis Shufelt and Travis Pascoe are ranked second and third in their respective weight classes.

Other ranked Huskers according to InterMat are Matt Murray (11th, 141 pounds), B.J. Wright (17th, 157 pounds), Nathan McClain (7th, HWT), Matt Keller (15th, 133 pounds), and Jacob Klein (13th, 165 pounds),

Huskers Rank Among Nations Best
Sophomore B.J. Padden currently leads the 197-pound weight class in pins with 11, according to the last fall leaders compiled by InterMat. Padden’s 11 pins place him fourth among all Division I wrestlers. Junior Travis Shufelt is tied for second in the 149-pound weight class with 10 falls. Matt Keller is tied for eighth, while Travis Shufelt and Travis Pascoe are tied for fifth in wins in their respective weight classes.

Huskers Strong at Home
With its 44-0 defeat over Oregon on Jan. 3, NU recorded its 14th victory in its last 15 home matches. The Huskers have won 11 straight at home, last losing to Minnesota in 2003.

During that 11-match stretch, NU has defeated four ranked opponents. The average margin of victory during this stretch is 25.3 points.  The 11-match home win streak is the second-longest in school history, three short of the mark that was set in 1989-90.

Up Next
Following the dual against the Tigers, the Huskers return to non-conference action as they travel to Tempe, Ariz. to take on the 13th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils on Jan. 30 beginning at 8 p.m.