Nebraska and Missouri Set to Square Off at 2 p.m.

Dual No. 14:

No. 3/5 Nebraska (10-3) vs. No. 14/11 Missouri (8-4)

NU Coliseum?Lincoln, Neb.?Sunday, Jan. 29?2 p.m.

Series History: Nebraska leads, 35-15-3

Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 26-12, on Jan. 29, 2005, in Columbia, Mo.

Nebraska and Missouri Set to Square Off <?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

The fifth-ranked Nebraska wrestling team will open Big 12 conference competition with 11th-ranked Missouri on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 2 p.m. at the NU Coliseum in Lincoln, Neb.  The dual is Nebraska’s first regular-season matchup with a Big 12 opponent.  Nebraska enters the dual with a 10-3 record while Missouri comes to Lincoln with an 8-4 mark. 

 

Last Week: #5 Nebraska 29, American 21

In a wild dual that saw seven of the 10 matches decided by fall or technical fall, fifth-ranked Nebraska defeated American, 29-21, in front of 655 fans on Saturday night at the NU Coliseum in Lincoln, Neb. 

 

NU started the dual with three straight victories to take a commanding 15-0 lead.  At 141 pounds, 18th-ranked Dominick Moyer earned his first win by fall in a dual this season with a pin of Jordan Zipkin 1:27 into their match.  Moyer took Zipkin down just 36 seconds into the match, scored a near fall with 1:49 to go in the first period, and then earned the pin 16 seconds later. 

 

Ryan Davis followed at 149 pounds with a 12-6 win over Tom Kniezewski.  Davis built a 9-2 lead after the first two periods, allowing only a pair of escapes to Kniezewski before holding on to win.

 

At 157 pounds, 16th-ranked Chris Oliver pinned Rudy Rueda with 17 seconds to go in their match.  Oliver, who leads the team with four wins by fall in dual competition, took Rueda down with 20 seconds to go in the match before pinning him three seconds later.   

 

Fourth-ranked Muzzaffar Abdurakhmanov broke Nebraska’s winning streak with a pin at 165 pounds, but third-ranked Jacob Klein answered with a win by technical fall over Dwayne Hash at 174 pounds.  Klein built a 12-2 lead in the first period with three takedowns and two three-point near falls.  Klein started the second period down and escaped four seconds into the second period.  Eight seconds later, Klein took down Hash, then scored a two-point near fall with 1:11 in to go in the second to clinch the technical fall victory.  Klein was awarded one bonus point for his 2:22 edge in riding time. 

 

In the night’s only matchup of two ranked wrestlers, American’s fifth-ranked Josh Glenn defeated 10th-ranked Vince Jones at 184 pounds by fall 1:17 into the first period.  Glenn scored a takedown 14 seconds into the match, but Jones earned the reversal 13 seconds later.  Glenn regained control with a reversal with 2:03 to go in the first period before earning the win by fall.

 

The Huskers would rebuild their lead after a win by fall by fifth-ranked B.J. Padden over Tyler Flatt.  Padden had a 9-2 lead after a takedown with 1:32 to go in the second period before pinning Flatt 20 seconds later to give Nebraska a 26-12 lead with three matches left.

 

After a win by fall at heavyweight by 15th-ranked Adam LoPiccolo, Nebraska clinched the dual with a 5-2 victory by ninth-ranked Paul Donahoe at 125 pounds over Matt Morkel.  Donahoe never trailed after taking the lead 57 seconds into the match with a takedown.  With the dual clinched, Jordan Lipp won by decision at 133 pounds for American.

 

Series History: Nebraska leads, 35-15-3

Nebraska leads the all-time series between the two schools, 35-15-3.  In addition, the Huskers have won the last three matchups between the two schools and 14 of the last 16 meetings.  NU won 11 straight duals over Missouri from 1990 to 1999.

 

Scouting Missouri

Missouri enters the dual with a record of 8-4 after losing to Oklahoma State, 29-10, on Jan. 22 in Columbia, Mo.  The Tigers, under head coach Brian Smith, are ranked 14th in the NWCA/Intermat coaches poll.  MU is led by Ben Askren, the top-ranked 174-pound wrestler, a two-time All-American who is 27-0 on the year.  Askren had won 10 straight matches by either fall or technical fall until he defeated Brandon Mason of Oklahoma State by a 16-4 major decision.  Also leading the way for Missouri is fifth-ranked Matt Pell at 165 pounds.

 

The Last Time We Met: Jan. 29, 2005: Nebraska 26, Missouri 12

Nebraska won its first four matches and never looked back in its 26-12 victory over No. 12 Missouri in Nebraska’s Big 12 opener.  The dual started with second-ranked 184-pound wrestler Travis Pascoe stretching his winning streak to 20 matches with a 7-4 win over 10th-ranked Matt Pell. B.J. Padden, the 12th-ranked 197-pound wrestler, followed with a 2-0 victory over No. 17 Jeff Foust. At heavyweight, Nebraska’s Mitch Manstedt beat Chase Wetenkamp of Missouri, 9-4. No. 8 Matt Keller gave the Huskers their first bonus-point win with a pin of Tim Kephart just 1:06 into their match at 125 pounds.  After a victory by Missouri’s Tyler McCormick at 133 pounds, seventh-ranked 141-pound wrestler Matt Murray clinched the dual for NU with an 18-2 victory by technical fall over No. 16 Chris McCormick. After NU won the 149 and 157 pound matches, MU closed the dual with a pair of wins.

 

Klein Named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week

Nebraska senior 174-pound wrestler Jacob Klein was named Wrestler of the Week by the Big 12 Conference on Jan. 16.  Klein, the fifth-ranked 174-pound wrestler in the country, went 4-0 at the NWCA National Duals Jan. 14-15 in Cedar Falls, Iowa, helping the Huskers to a third-place finish.  Klein defeated four ranked wrestlers at National Duals, including three shutouts.  In the first round, Klein knocked off third-ranked Mark Perry of Iowa, 4-3, to help NU to a 24-13 victory over the No. 6 Hawkeyes.  Klein followed that performance with a 4-0 shutout of sixth-ranked Nick Roy of Michigan as the Huskers earned their second win of the season over the No. 5 Wolverines, 24-16.

 

On Sunday, Klein defeated ninth-ranked Brandon Mason of Oklahoma State, 3-0, in Nebraska’s semifinal loss to the Cowboys before defeating 14th-ranked Brandon Stinnott of Central Michigan, 6-0, in the third-place dual which Nebraska won, 21-10, over the seventh-ranked Chippewas.  It is the second career Big 12 Wrestler of the Week citation for Klein.  As a junior, Klein was honored as both conference wrestler of the week and CSTV National Wrestler of the Week after he defeated then-ninth-ranked Tyron Woodley of Missouri, 3-2, on Jan. 24, 2004. 

 

Knocking on the Clubhouse Door

A pair of Husker wrestlers are within reach of Nebraska’s 100-Win club.  NU All-American wrestlers B.J. Padden and Jacob Klein both entered the 2005-06 with 70 career wins, just 30 away from joining the 100-Win Club at Nebraska.  Travis Pascoe was the last Husker to join the club, finishing his career with 101 wins after last year’s sixth-place finish at the 2005 NCAA Championship.

 

Padden closed the 2004-05 season with a fifth-place finish at 197 pounds and entered the 2005-06 season as one of the nation’s best at 197 pounds.  Padden became Nebraska’s first individual conference champion since Jason Powell in 2002 with his 6-2 victory over eventual national champion Jake Rosholt of Oklahoma State at the Big 12 Championships.  Padden has started the 2005-06 season with a 17-2 record, putting him just 14 wins away from 100 in his career. 

 

Klein entered his senior season as NU’s starter at 174 pounds after qualifying for nationals three times at 165 pounds.  Klein was an All-American as a sophomore at 165 pounds, and reached greater heights as a junior with a 28-7 record with a 19-2 dual record.  Klein was tied with Pascoe for the team lead in dual wins and finished second on the team with 74 dual points, just one behind B.J. Wright. Klein has opened the season with an 17-1 record, putting him 13 wins away from 100 for his career.  Klein defeated Dwayne Hash of American by technical fall on Saturday. 

 

Youth Served for NU This Season

After losing five starters from last year’s lineup, Nebraska has had to rely on a talented freshmen class to fill those holes this season, and the class has been more than equal to the task.  Led by co-Redshirts of the Year Paul Donahoe at 125 pounds and Chris Oliver at 157 pounds, along with true freshman Vince Jones at 184 pounds, Nebraska’s freshmen have supported the more-experienced Huskers en route to a 10-3 record.

 

The impact of Nebraska’s younger wrestlers was never more apparent than at the National Duals.  In the first round against Iowa, Donahoe and Patrick Aleksanyan earned back-to-back falls to give the Huskers a 12-0 lead, a lead that they would not give up, despite losses in the next three matches.  After wins from veterans Marc Harwood and Jacob Klein, Jones, in his debut in a dual for Nebraska, defeated second-ranked Paul Bradley, 4-3, to give NU a 21-10 lead.  In the quarterfinals against Michigan, Donahoe again gave Nebraska 6-0 lead with a win by fall.  After three straight losses, Oliver put the Huskers back on top by pinning fifth-ranked Steve Luke to give Nebraska a 12-9 lead.  After the Wolverines tied the dual at 165 pounds, a win by Klein gave the Huskers a three-point lead before Jones gave Nebraska a nine-point lead with two matches to go with his pin of 17th-ranked Tyrell Todd.  

 

In the semifnals against Oklahoma State, the Huskers’ comeback bid received a big jolt from Jones’ win by major decision, which pulled Nebraska within five points with two matches to go.  The third-place match against Central Michigan saw Nebraska again race to a 6-0 lead after wins from Donahoe and Aleksanyan in the first two matches.  After a setback at 149 pounds, NU picked up wins from Oliver and Jones in a four-match winning streak that clinched the dual for the Huskers.

 

Against second-ranked Michigan on Dec. 9, a pair of redshirt freshmen combined to give Nebraska a lead it would not relinquish on the road against the Wolverines.  Donahoe picked up a win by technical fall over Jim Shutich, 15-0, to give the Huskers an 8-3 lead before Aleksanyan broke through for his first dual win of his career with a 14-4 major decision triumph over Brandon Elliott at 133 pounds.  Aleksanyan’s victory gave NU a 12-3 lead with six matches to go.  The lead built by the redshirt freshmen held up, as Nebraska beat Michigan, 18-16.

 

Five NU wrestlers made their varsity debuts against Boise State on Nov. 19.  Of those, Donahoe and Oliver notched bonus-point wins for the Huskers.  Donahoe dominated in his 18-8 major decision win over Cory Fish.  Donahoe never trailed in his match with Fish, and finished by outscoring Fish 9-4 in the final two minutes of the match.  Oliver came back from a 2-1 deficit to pin Johnny Nunez in the second period at 157 pounds.  Oliver took the lead for good after starting the second period down, then escaping 16 seconds into the period.  Oliver then took Nunez down with 30 seconds to go in the match and pinned him nine seconds later. 

 

Along with Oliver and Donahoe, Aleksanyan, Robert Sanders and Matt Farrell made their dual debuts at 133, 149 and 184 pounds, respectively.  Against Michigan, 2005 Co-Redshirt of the Year Brandon Browne also made his varsity debut at 184 pounds.  The youth in Nebraska’s starting lineup reflects a talented, but young roster.  Of the 33 NU wrestlers on the roster, 23 are either redshirt freshmen or true freshmen.

 

Klein Competes in All-Star Classic

NU senior 174-pound wrestler Jacob Klein wrestled in the 2005 NWCA All-Star Classic in Stillwater, Okla., Monday, Nov. 28.  Klein was defeated 8-5 by third-ranked Jacob Herbert of Northwestern.  Klein nearly fought back from a 6-0 deficit.  After earning his first point with an escape with 41 seconds to go in the match, Klein registered two takedowns in the final 15 seconds of the match.  Klein’s rally fell just short, and with one point riding time, Herbert defeated Klein, 8-5.  Klein was one of nine Big 12 wrestlers to compete in the All-Star Classic.

 

NU Looks to Continue Success

Despite a young roster, expectations are still high for the Nebraska wrestling team as it looks to continue a 20-year tradition of success.  The Huskers took a big step toward maintaining that tradition on Saturday.  The win over American on Saturday gave the Huskers their 64th dual win over the last four years, placing the last four years of Husker wrestling as the best in the school annals.  NU is 64-15-1 in the last four seasons with four duals to go.  Over the last 20 seasons, NU has won at least 10 duals in a season 18 times and at least 15 duals eight times, including the last three seasons.  With Nebraska’s win over American on Sunday, the Huskers secured their 19th 10-win season over the last 21 years. 

 

The 2004-05 season capped the best three-year stretch in school history.  The Huskers were 53-12-1 from the fall of 2002 to the end of the 2004-05 campaign, marking the first time Nebraska had won 50 duals in a three-year stretch since the wrestling program was started at Nebraska in 1910.  In fact, the last three years of Husker wrestling nearly equals Nebraska’s best four-year wrestling stretch.  The Huskers’ start this season within reach of the 63-21-2 record of the four seasons between 1979 and 1982 for the best four seasons in school history, and only 11 four-year runs have bettered Nebraska’s last three years in dual competition.   

 

Nebraska has built its success over the last three years on dominance at home.  The Huskers have won 26 of their last 28 duals in Lincoln and are 30-3 at home since the fall of 2002.  Since Mark Manning’s arrival at Nebraska for the 2001-02 campaign, the Huskers are 36-10 at home.

 

Starting Strong

Nebraska has been almost unbeatable in the months of November and December under head coach Mark Manning.  The Huskers have won 36 of 38 non-conference matches in the first two months of the season under Manning and are 36-3 overall.  During that time, Nebraska has beaten 11 ranked opponents, including an upset of second-ranked Michigan on Dec. 9.  Included in the 34 wins are four shutouts, including two at the 2004 Nebraska Duals.  

 

Huskers Sign Three in Early Period

The Nebraska wrestling team opened the early signing period with a flourish by receiving National Letters-of-Intent from three accomplished prep recruits, Husker Head Coach Mark Manning announced earlier this season.

 

“We got three really outstanding kids,” Manning said. “These guys all are good students, good wrestlers and have good character.”

 

NU’s class is led by in-state recruit Matt Vacanti.  The Papillion-LaVista product entered his senior year with a 103-0 high school career record and is slated to wrestle at either 133 or 141 pounds for the Huskers.  Vacanti was 35-0 with all wins by fall last season en route to his third career state championship.  Vacanti is also accomplished on the national stage, as a two-time cadet national champion.

 

“Matt has a great work ethic and is a tough, hard-nosed kid,” Manning said.  “His style of wrestling fits in well with the rest of our team.  He’s an exciting wrestler to watch and he gets after it.”

Joining Vacanti is Curtis Salazar of Greeley, Colo.  Salazar is a two-time Colorado state champion and a three-time state finalist.  Salazar, who is projected to wrestle at 149 pounds in college, is another valuable addition to the NU wrestling team, according to Manning.

 

“He’s a good wrestler who wants to get better, and he is a great student,” Manning said.  “He’s been dominating in-state and national competition and beat a lot of good, ranked opponents.  He’s come to our camp the last couple years and gets along well with our guys.  We’re happy to have him be part of our family now.”

 

Rounding out the signings is Alex Ward, from Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore, Md.  Ward, projected to wrestle in the middle weights in college, is a two-time state champion at 145 pounds.  A fourth-place finisher the last two years in the national prep tournament, Ward is the son of three-time NCAA finalist and former NU assistant wrestling coach Kelly Ward.

 

“He’s an outstanding kid from a heralded program in Mount Saint Joseph High School,” Manning said.  “We expect him to improve and develop a lot in our program.  He’s an intelligent young man with great potential and upside.  He will help us out in the future.”

 

Non-Varsity Notes

Seven Huskers finished in the top four in the their respective weight classes at the Glen Brand Open in Omaha, Neb., at Jan. 21.  A pair of Nebraska wrestlers, 149-pound wrestler Robert Sanders and 197-pound wrestler Levi Wofford, won individual championships.  Heavyweight Stefan Tighe was second, while two Huskers, Mike Rowe (141) and Craig Brester (184) finished third, while three NU wrestlers, 157-pound wrestler Rob Plambeck, 184-pound wrestler Casey Roberts and 197-pound wrestler Cody Millard, took fourth in their respective weight classes.

 

Nebraska opened its non-varsity season Saturday, Nov. 12 at the Harold Nichols Open.  The Huskers were led by Brandon Browne, who opened his second year in the program with a 5-0 weekend and the 174-pound championship.  Browne headlined a list of five Husker medalists, including four NU true freshmen who made their debut in college wrestling with a top-four performance in the Harold Nichols Open.  Mike Rowe finished second at 133 pounds, while Jones and Wofford finished third at 184 pounds and 197 pounds, respectively.  Freshman heavyweight Tighe finished fourth.At the Kaufman-Brand Open on Nov. 19, seven of the 13 non-varsity wrestlers entered placed for the Huskers in the 20-and-under division,  led by Kenny Jordan, who won the 133-pound weight class in his first collegiate competition.   Jones and Wofford finished second at 184 and 197 pounds, respectively, while heavyweight Tighe finished third.  Brester earned fourth place at 174 pounds, while 197-pound wrestler Cody Millard and 184-pound wrestler Roberts each finished fifth.  On Nov. 26, Cash Coolidge finished third at 141 pounds and Brester placed second at 174 pounds for the Huskers at the Oklahoma Open in Norman, Okla.

 

On Sunday, Dec. 4, a pair of non-varsity wrestlers earned individual championships at the UNI Open.  At 133 pounds, Jordan won five matches, including a 1-0 decision over teammate Patrick Aleksanyan in the finals, to earn the championship.  At 184 pounds, Jones won four of his five matches by fall en route to the championship.  In addition to Jordan and Jones, 174-pound wrestler Browne finished runner-up to Jacob Klein. The Nebraska non-varsity wrestlers closed first semester competition at the UNK Loper Open on Saturday, Dec. 10 in Kearney, Neb.  Three Huskers earned individual championships including a pair of Huskers, 149-pound wrestler Ryan Davis and 165-pounder Ingalls, who were making their 2005-06 season debuts.  Brester also was a champion at 174 pounds, while Tighe was third in the heavyweight division.  At the Dana College Open on Jan. 7, seven Huskers finished in the top three in their respective weight classes.  The highlight for NU was the 184-pound weight class, where NU swept the top three spots.  Vince Jones earned the championship with four pins, while Casey Roberts took second and Craig Brester earned third.  David Ingalls earned the 165-pound championship, while Levi Wofford won the 197-pound championship.  James Pummel and Stefan Tighe finished third and 174 pounds and heavyweight, respectively.

 

Next Up: Nebraska at Oklahoma State, Feb. 3, 2006, 7 p.m., Stillwater, Okla.

Nebraska hits the road to take on second-ranked Oklahoma State at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla., on Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. Nebraska seeks its first win over Oklahoma State since Feb. 14, 1993, and just the third win overall against the Cowboys.  The Huskers pushed the Cowboys to the final match in a 20-14 loss on Jan. 15, 2006, in the semifinals of the National Duals.  On Feb. 10, 2005, Oklahoma State came back to beat to defeat Nebraska, 19-18, with a win in the final match at the NU Coliseum.

 

Nebraska Fans Fill the Coliseum and Devaney for NU Wrestling

For the second straight year, the attendance for Nebraska wrestling went up in 2004-05.  For the first time in three years, the Huskers drew over 1,000 fans per dual.  NU averaged 1,209 fans per home wrestling dual in 2004-05, highlighted by the 3,442 fans that attended the Huskers’ dual against Oklahoma State.  In 2003-04, Nebraska fell just shy of 1,000 fans per dual, averaging 927 fans per night.  That number was up from Nebraska’s average attendance of 2002-03 of 561.

This season, Nebraska has averaged 477 fans per home date.  Nebraska’s season-opening dual against Boise State Nov. 18 drew 584 fans to the NU Coliseum.  On Dec. 17, the Nebraska Duals drew 286 fans, while the dual against Bloomsburg drew 315 fans to the Devaney Center Track on Jan. 2 and 547 fans saw Nebraska defeat Virginia Tech, 41-3, at the Devaney Center Track on Jan. 7.  655 fans took in Nebraska’s 29-21 win over American on Jan. 21.  Nebraska faces nationally-ranked conference foes Missouri and Oklahoma at home later this season.