Wrestlers seek validation
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BY KARL VOGEL / Lincoln Journal Star
It’s been about 86 years since a Nebraska wrestling team beat a full-strength squad from Oklahoma State in a dual meet.
That was the first time the teams faced off, and since then, it’s been all Cowboys — 48 wins, one loss and a tie.
In the history of rivalries, there have been few that have featured so much dominance by one team — college football had Nebraska’s 36 straight wins against Kansas and Notre Dame’s 43 in a row vs. Navy. Those streaks, however, recently came to an end.
Craig Brester, the Huskers’ starting 197-pounder, said he wouldn’t mind being on the team that stops OSU’s winning ways in this series.
“It’s different for me,” said Brester, a former prep football and wrestling star at Howells. “Back in high school, I was usually on the winning side of a rivalry.”
Sophomore 149-pounder Jordan Burroughs said he’s just looking to keep Nebraska’s recent winning ways going.
“I love winning. This is the first time I’ve ever been on a highly ranked team,” Burroughs said. “In high school (Winslow Township High in New Jersey), I was always on a mediocre team. It feels good to have a lot of talent around me and be able to depend on other guys to win even if I don’t.”
On Sunday, in the ESPNU Wrestling Invitational in Oklahoma City, the third-ranked Huskers might just have a chance to pull off the big win that barely slipped away at the NU Coliseum last year.
Wins by Brester, Paul Donahoe, Dominick Moyer and Burroughs cut the Cowboys’ early lead to 18-13 heading into the last match.
Nebraska’s Chris Oliver spent much of the match looking for an opening that might get him the pin the Huskers needed for the win.
With 22 seconds left, Oliver scored a takedown and appeared to have the shoulders of OSU’s Newly McSpadden pinned to the mat. But the referee ruled Oliver had locked his hands and awarded McSpadden a penalty point with 17 seconds left. That forced the match to overtime, where McSpadden scored a quick takedown to end NU’s hopes.
Sunday’s matchup, however, will be unlike most in the series because it will feature two of the nation’s hottest teams.
Oklahoma State (10-1) was ranked second in the preseason poll, but dropped as sixth just two weeks ago. But then the Cowboys knocked off Iowa in Iowa City and won last weekend’s Virginia Duals and are back at No. 2.
Nebraska (9-2) began the season ranked 14th and slowly moved up. But after a runner-up finish at last weekend’s National Duals, the Huskers vaulted to third in the national rankings — trailing only No. 1 Iowa (which beat the Huskers 24-6 in the finals) and OSU.
Brester said that run validated the Huskers’ season-long confidence.
“We proved we can wrestle,” Brester said. “It doesn’t matter what team steps out there, if we wrestle good we can beat them. If we don’t wrestle good we can get up beat up real bad.
“It would be great to beat them (OSU), but you have to think about it realistically. Even if it doesn’t come out right for us, we have to be looking toward the end of the year and the ultimate goal — and that’s a national title.”
Briefly
* The ESPNU Wrestling Invitational is a double-dual event at the Ford Center that also features a matchup between No. 13 Wisconsin and No. 17 Oklahoma. The two dual meets will run concurrently and will be shown on ESPNU (cable 235) in a split-screen format, beginning at 6 p.m.
* Husker fans might be in need of a recording device Sunday. CSTV (cable 305) will broadcast a tape of the finals of the National Duals at 7 p.m., or about the midpoint in the NU-OSU dual on ESPNU.
Reach Karl Vogel at 473-7432 or kvogel@journalstar.com.
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