Husker Wrestling Comes Up Short Against No. 2 Ohio State

The No. 6 Nebraska wrestling team nearly pulled off an upset of No. 2 Ohio State (14-0, 3-0 Big Ten), but came up one-point short in a 17-16 loss Sunday afternoon at the Devaney Center. With the result, the Huskers move to 9-5 on the season and 2-2 in the Big Ten.
The top-10 showdown between Big Ten foes began at 125, where Kael Lauridsen faced No. 2 Nic Bouzakis. Bouzakis controlled the bout early, building an 11-point lead before securing a 16-4 major decision.  
At 133, No. 2 Ben Davino struck first with an early takedown before No. 8 Jacob Van Dee answered with an escape. Davino added an escape and a late takedown to earn a 7-2 decision and improve to 19-0 on the season. 
A top-three matchup followed at 141 between No. 3 Brock Hardy and No. 1 Jesse Mendez.  Mendez built an early lead with two takedowns and a nearfall, while Hardy managed an escape. Mendez went on to claim a 14-3 major decision, extending the Buckeyes’ lead.  
At 149, No. 14 Chance Lamer and No. 4 Ethan Stiles battled through a scoreless opening period before Stiles recorded an escape. Each wrestler earned a reversal in the third period, and last-second escape by Lamer forced sudden victory. Stiles notched a takedown in overtime to secure a 6-3 win. 
With Ohio State leading 14-0, No. 5 Antrell Taylor sparked the Huskers’ rally at 157 against Maddox Shaw. Taylor recorded the first Husker takedown of the day and controlled the bout with three takedowns to earn an 11-3 major decision and put NU on the board. 
Momentum continued at 165 as No. 7 LJ Araujo grabbed a second-period escape against e’Than Birden. Araujo held onto the one-point advantage through the final period to earn a 1-0 decision. 
At 174, No. 6 Christopher Minto delivered a pivotal dual moment, upsetting No. 4 Carson Kharchla in sudden victory, 4-1. After each wrestler recorded an escape in regulation, Minto finished the bout with a takedown in overtime to cut the team deficit to 14-10. 
No. 7 Silas Allred kept the Big Red rolling at 184, defeating No. 5 Dylan Fishback, 2-1, in a tiebreaker. Both wrestlers recorded escapes during regulation before Fishback took a medical timeout late in the bout. Allred then rolled out the final sequence to secure the victory, pulling the Huskers within one point entering the final two bouts. 
At 197, No. 9 Camden McDanel gave the Huskers its first lead of the afternoon, scoring a late takedown to defeat No. 10 Luke Geog, 9-6, putting Nebraska ahead 16-14 heading into the final bout. 
The dual came down to heavyweight, where No. 4 AJ Ferrari and No. 3 Nick Feldman were locked in a 1-1 tie through regulation. In sudden victory, Feldman secured a takedown to earn a 4-1 decision and give the Buckeyes’ a 17-16 victory. 
Up Next
The Huskers will head to University Park, Pa., to take on No. 1 Penn State (11-0, 5-0 Big Ten) on Friday, Jan. 30. The dual is set for 7 p.m. (CT) and will be televised on BTN. 
No. 2 Ohio State 17, No. 6 Nebraska 16
125: #2 Nic Bouzakis major dec. Kael Lauridsen 16-4 (OHST 4, NEB 0)
133: #2 Ben Davino dec. #8 Jacob Van Dee 7-2 (OHST 7, NEB 0)
141: #1 Jesse Mendez major dec. #3 Brock Hardy (OHST 11, NEB 0)
149: #4 Ethan Stiles dec. #14 Chance Lamer 6-3 SV-1 (OHST 14, NEB 0)
157: #5 Antrell Taylor major dec. #1 Brandon Cannon 11-3 (OHST 14, NEB 4)
165: #7 LJ Araujo dec. e’Than Birden 1-0 (OHST 14, NEB 7)
174: #6 Christopher Minto dec. #4 Carson Kharchla 4-1 SV-1 (OHST 14, NEB 10)
184: #7 Silas Allred dec. #5 Dylan Fishback 2-1 TB-1 (OHST 14, NEB 13)
197: #9 Camden McDanel dec. #10 Luke Geog 9-3 (NEB 16, OHST 14)
HWT: #3 Nick Feldman dec. #4 AJ Ferrari 4-1 SV-1 (OHST 17, NEB 16)