No. 4 Ohio State will wrap up the end of their regular season dual meet schedule this weekend, beginning with a trip to Lincoln to take on No. 5 Nebraska. The dual will feature six bouts between ranked wrestlers in each of the first three and the last three bouts.
Let’s take a look at what to expect when Ohio State heads west for the first match of the weekend.
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| #5 Nebraska Cornhuskers |
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12-1 overall, 6-1 Big Ten ROSTER | SCHEDULE |
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8:00 PM EST – Friday, Feb. 10 Devaney Center Lincoln, Nebraska |
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Live on BTN Plus (Subscription required)
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| Huskers.com |
The no. 5 nebraska cornhuskers
Head Coach: Mark Manning
Manning is in his 16th year as head coach of the Husker program and has made some serious strides in making Nebraska a perennial powerhouse. Manning is the winningest coach in Nebraska wrestling history and has lead his teams to six finishes in the top eight at the NCAA tournament. Manning has been a coach for the US Olympic team on two occasions, owing to his star pupil Jordan Burroughs. Manning is a two time FILA Freestyle Coach of the Year, and has molded Burroughs and his fellow Cornhusker James Green into elite talents in international wrestling.
As a competitor, Manning won two NCAA Division II national championships for Nebraska-Omaha before spending three years as a member of the US National Freestyle team in the late 80’s. Coach Manning also took second place at the 1989 Pan Am Games while an assistant coach at North Carolina.
The impact Manning has had as a coach is evident in that three of his top wrestlers from Nebraska returned to work with him on staff as NCAA runner-up Brian Snyder (Nebraska), three-time All-American Jason Powell (Nebraska), and four-time All-American James Green (Nebraska) all assist Manning with the wrestling team. The lone non-Husker graduate on staff is Matt Meulener (Northern State).
Ohioans on the Nebraska Roster
None
Notable Husker Wrestlers
No. 5 Tim Lambert (RS Sr, 125)
Lambert is an impressive talent, but tends to get lost in the shuffle of all of the talent in the Big Ten at 125. He is tough to take down and finds a way to score points from the top position. Lambert has qualified for the NCAA tournament each year, but has never earned an All-American finish and finished fourth or below at the Big Ten tournament in each season.
No. 5 Eric Montoya (RS Sr, 133)
Montoya earned a fifth place finish at last year’s NCAA tournament, giving him his first All-American finish. Montoya was the kryptonite to Buckeye graduate Johnni DiJulius, defeating JDJ at the NCAA tournament in each of the last two seasons. Montoya’s lone loss of the current season was a mild upset to Michigan’s No. 7 Stevan Micic, though Montoya has victories over No. 11 Earl Hall, No. 2 Seth Gross, and No. 6 Zane Richards to his credit.
No. 3 TJ Dudley (RS Sr, 184)
Dudley is a two-time All-American for Nebraska, finishing runner-up to the outstanding Gabe Dean of Cornell at last year’s NCAA tournament. Only Penn State’s Bo Nickal has defeated Dudley this season, and that was merely by decision. Dudley has wins over No. 7 Nate Jackson, No. 9 Jack Dechow, and No. 12 Emery Parker this season.
| #4 Ohio State | WT | #5 Nebraska |
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| #18 Jose Rodriguez | 125 | #5 Tim Lambert |
| #1 Nathan Tomasello | 133 | #5 Eric Montoya |
| #15 Luke Pletcher | 141 | #10 Colton McCrystal |
| #5 Micah Jordan | 149 | Collin Purinton |
| Josh Powell | 157 | #3 Tyler Berger |
| Cody Burcher | 165 | Dustin Williams |
| #1 Bo Jordan OR Justin Kresevic | 174 | Micah Barnes |
| #10 Myles Martin | 184 | #3 TJ Dudley |
| #4 Kollin Moore | 197 | #6 Aaron Studebaker |
| #1 Kyle Snyder OR Josh Fox | HWT | #14 Collin Jensen |
Key Matchups
133- No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (13-0) vs No. 5 Eric Montoya (21-1)
Tomasello was given a path of lesser resistance against Iowa and Penn State, but he’ll look to round into post-season form here against Montoya. The two have never met on the mat, but they are likely to meet again either at the Big Ten tournament or the NCAA tournament. Tomasello is tough to stop if he’s getting to the legs, especially with his left handed high crotch attack.
184- No. 10 Myles Martin (21-5) vs No. 3 TJ Dudley (22-1)
Both guys have crazy quickness and surprising strength despite being lanky wrestlers. Martin hasn’t been as consistent as Dudley throughout the season, but he looked really tough in his last two losses to Brooks and Nickal. Myles was in deep on shots, but was unable to finish them against the top five opponents. Dudley will be another stiff test, but Martin may be able to reverse the outcome if he’s able to finish his leg attacks quickly without being put in a scramble situation.
197- No. 4 Kollin Moore (22-2) vs No. 6 Aaron Studebaker (23-4)
Studebaker has twice been a match away from earning All-American honors, but lost each time in the bloodround at the NCAA tournament. Moore is a point scorer, while Studebaker is more of a defensive wrestler, looking to capitalize on an opponent’s mistake in a close match. A win here would be huge for Moore’s confidence heading into the post season.
Match Outlook
Bonus points, as usual, will be key in the dual, especially if the Buckeyes are without Bo Jordan or Kyle Snyder. The Buckeyes will be heavily favored at 141, 174 (if Bo is in the lineup), and heavyweight (again, if Snyder wrestles). Both Jordans and Snyder are likely to earn bonus points, but the Buckeyes are at risk of giving up bonus points at 125, 157, 174 (if Bo doesn’t wrestle), and HWT (if Snyder is on the bench).
Jose Rodriguez started tough this season, but has fallen on hard times lately, looking outgunned against Gilman and Suriano. Rodriguez showed flashes of potential early on, but looks like the weight cut to 125 is starting to get the best of him. Lambert of Nebraska is tough, but Rodriguez will need to bring his “A game” to keep the damage to a minimum. Jake Ryan is out of the lineup at 157, but Josh Powell has done little to inspire any confidence in his spot. Cody Burcher’s matches always seem to be a toss-up, especially late in the match when he seems to run out of steam.
This dual meet is unique in that it only features a single match where the competitors have wrestled one another in college, with Kyle Snyder owning a pair of bonus point victories over Collin Jensen at heavyweight. There will be plenty of Buckeyes matching up with Huskers at the Big Ten tournament, so this dual meet is going to be crucial for seeding purposes in the postseason.
