Vince Jones has won 10 of his last 11 matches, boosted his record to 20-7 and climbed to a No. 10 ranking.
KARL VOGEL / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Friday, February 1, 2008 6:00 pm
Vince Jones could hardly contain his emotions.
After pinning Oklahoma State’s Jack Jensen two weeks ago in Oklahoma City, Nebraska’s 184-pounder leaped to his feet and began dancing Cowboy-style.
The junior from Sicklerville, N.J., turned each of his hands into the shape of a six-shooter and pretended to fire into the air as he spun off the mat and into a wild Husker victory celebration.
A gutty display in front of a large crowd of OSU fans, for sure, but Jones said he meant no disrespect. Rather, it was a natural reaction, a release of a lot of pent-up frustration for a Husker program that hadn’t beaten a full-strength Oklahoma State team in 86 years.
“All that just came out,” he said. “I didn’t think I’d be able to get the pin, but when I got the pin it locked the match down.
“It felt good to be part of that history. Not many people from here can say they beat Okie State.”
More than just locking up the 22-13 win against the Cowboys, the pin added to Jones’ hot streak since the Huskers returned in late December from a holiday break.
Since then, Jones has won 10 of his 11 matches (with five pins and three major decisions), boosted his record to 20-7 and climbed to a No. 10 ranking.
More importantly, however, his last three dual meet wins clinched upsets of higher-ranked teams, which in turn pushed the Huskers to No. 2 in the national polls.
* On Jan. 12 against No. 1 Penn State (in the second round of the National Duals), Jones decisioned Phillip Bomberger 10-5 to put Nebraska ahead 19-6 and clinch the victory with two matches left.
* The next day in the semifinals, against defending NCAA champion and fifth-ranked Minnesota, Jones pinned No. 2 Roger Kish with only four seconds left in their match to put the Huskers comfortably ahead 20-10 en route to a 24-13 victory.
* A week later came the pin against Jensen to knock off No. 2 Oklahoma State.
Nebraska coach Mark Manning said Jones’ recent success should come as no surprise.
“His personality is that he likes to be the one who rises to the occasion. He’s a gamer,” Manning said. “He gets excited in those situations and that’s something you can’t teach.”
Jones said those clutch performances are things he doesn’t even think about until later.
“I don’t consider that. I just go when they tell me to go. I go with the sound of the bell,” Jones said. “I don’t try to go out there and get bonus points … whatever happens happens.”
What’s been happening this year is Jones leading the team in pinfall victories (nine), raising his Husker total to 23 in only 63 varsity matches.
If Jones scores another win tonight against Missouri, it could put a cap on another huge dual win for the surging Huskers.
Jones will likely be one of Nebraska’s underdogs again when he faces sixth-ranked Raymond Jordan, who beat Jones 8-4 at the Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 1.
Briefly
* Saturday night's dual is part of the NU athletic department’s Dollar Days promotion. Tickets are $1, as are hot dogs and soft drinks.
* The largest crowd to watch a Husker wrestling dual at the Coliseum was 3,442 for the Oklahoma State dual in 2005.
* Top-ranked Iowa faced a tough test Friday night when it traveled to No. 4 Minnesota. The Hawkeyes have another tough Big Ten test Sunday at No. 13 Wisconsin.
Reach Karl Vogel at 473-7432 or kvogel@journalstar.com.