Feb. 4, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 3 Penn State rebounded from its first loss of the season by trouncing home-standing Michigan State 30-9 in a Big Ten road dual. With a line-up featuring five freshmen, the third-ranked Nittany Lions withstood an early Spartan flourish and win seven of ten bouts in the lop-sided victory.
For the first time all year, a Penn State dual did not start at 125. Starting at 184, sophomore Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 14, posted a convincing 13-1 major over talented Spartan junior Ian Hinton. Michigan State responded at 197 as junior Tyler Dickenson posted a tough 5-2 win over Lion freshman Nick Ruggear (Oxford, Pa.). Michigan picked up a stunning upset at heavyweight as Joe Rizqallah turned Penn State's Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) for five back points in the third period to post an 8-2 win and put the Spartans up 6-4. Spartan junior Eric Olanowski added to the MSU lead with a tough 8-5 win over Penn State true freshman Nate Morgan (McCook, Neb.) at 125. Nittany Lion sophomore Andrew Long (Creston, Iowa), ranked No. 9 at 133, got a 16-5 major over Chris Lyon at 133 to cut the Spartan lead to 9-8 at the break.
The second half began with true freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 7 at 141, getting a forfeit victory as Michigan State did not send anyone to the mat at that weight. Two-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), ranked No. 5 at 149, posted a strong 12-5 win over Dan Osterman before undefeated freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 3 at 157, posted a 20-5 technical fall over Michigan State's Sean McMurray to push Penn State out to a 22-9 lead. Sophomore Nick Fischer (Unionville, Pa.) got the call at 165 and posted an impressive 9-1 major over MSU's Bobby Nash. Freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 174, hammered Spartan Curran Jacobs 18-6 with over 3:00 in riding time as Penn State posted the 30-9 road win.
Cael Sanderson's Nittany Lions improve to 14-1 with the win, 3-1 in Big Ten action while Michigan State falls to 9-5, 1-4. Penn State owned a massive 35-4 edge in takedowns as none of Penn State's seven victors gave one up. The Nittany Lions picked up nine bonus points thanks to a forfeit, a tech fall and four majors. Taylor's win at 157 improves the Lion freshman to 27-0 on the year. The tech fall was the 11th of the year for Taylor and 26 of his 27 wins has come by a major, tech fall or pin.
Penn State returns to action on Sunday, Feb. 6, when it visits No. 13 Michigan at 2 p.m. Tickets are also selling fast for the Lions' final two home duals (Feb. 11 vs. Illinois, Feb. 18 vs. Wisconsin) but are still available. Fans wishing to purchase single dual meet tickets can place their orders by calling 814-865-5555 or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office. The box office is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Ticket pricing is $8 for adults and $5 for youth, and there will be a limit of eight tickets per order. Group sales are also available. The 2010-11 Penn State wrestling season is presented by the Family Clothesline. All Penn State events will once again air live on Forever Broadcasting's WRSC (1390 AM) and WSQV (92.1 FM). All radio broadcasts are streamed live at GoPSUsports.com as part of the All-Access package. The 2010-11 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
#3 Penn State 30, Michigan State 9
February 4, 2011 - East Lansing, Mich.
184: #14 Quentin Wright PSU maj. dec. Ian Hinton MSU, 13-1 4-0
197: Tyler Dickenson MSU dec. Nick Ruggear PSU, 5-2 4-3
285: Joe Rizqallah MSU dec. #5 Cameron Wade PSU, 8-2 4-6
125: Eric Olanowski MSU dec. Nate Morgan PSU, 8-5 4-9
133: #9 Andrew Long PSU maj. dec. Chris Lyon MSU, 16-5 8-9
141: #7 Andrew Alton PSU win by forfeit 14-9
149: #5 Frank Molinaro PSU dec. Dan Osterman MSU, 12-5 17-9
157: #3 David Taylor PSU tech fall Sean McMurray MSU, 20-5 (TF; 6:23) 22-9
165: Nick Fischer PSU maj. dec. Bobby Nash MSU, 9-1 26-9
174: #2 Ed Ruth PSU maj. dec. Curran Jacobs MSU, 18-6 30-9
Attendance: 706
Records: Penn State 14-1 (3-1 Big Ten), Michigan State (9-5, 1-4 Big Ten)
Up Next for Penn State: at No. 13 Michigan, Sunday, Feb. 6, 2 p.m.
BOUT-BY-BOUT:
184: For the first time this year, a PSU dual did not start at 125. Sophomore Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 14 at 184, met Michigan State junior Ian Hinton. The duo battled evenly for the first two minutes with neither man finding an opening to score. Action picked up a bit more over the last minute of the first half but still, no one managed a solid shot to take the lead. Tied 0-0, Wright chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Hinton got in deep on Wright's left leg for a moment, but Wright managed to force a stalemate at the 1:10 mark. Hinton used a low single to get in deep on Wright, but the Lion sophomore countered the move, moved himself from underneath the Spartan and got the takedown himself. He continued through with the move and put Hinton to his back but the Spartan rolled through before Wright could get the pin call. Wright picked up the three points for the near fall and led 6-1 after two periods. Hinton chose neutral to start the third period but Wright got the first points of the period. Hinton tried to tie Wright up at the shoulders, but the Lion slid to the mat and used a swift low double for a takedown and an 8-2 lead after a quick Hinton escape. Wright continued to pour on the offense, countering a Hinton shout by driving through the Spartan junior for another takedown and a 10-2 lead. Wright maintained control long enough to build up a minute-plus in riding time and added two more near fall points before the bout ended. With the riding time point, Wright notched a very impressive 13-1 major to put Penn State up 4-0 early.
197: True freshman Nick Ruggear (Oxford, Pa.) got the call for Penn State at 197 to meet Spartan junior Tyler Dickenson. Ruggear battled Dickinson, who carried a 19-9 mark into the bout, evenly for the first two minutes, working strong hand ties and keeping the action in the middle of the mat. Neither wrestler found an opening in which to score until :15 left when Dickinson nearly turned a low single into a takedown. But Ruggear whipped his leg out of trouble and kept the bout scoreless after three minutes. Dickinson chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Ruggear turned a high single into the bout's first takedown at the 1:37 mark, taking a 2-1 lead. Dickinson escaped to tie the bout at 2-2 after a short Ruggear ride and action returned to the center circle. Dickinson took the lead with his first takedown, taking the lead with :44 left with a solid double leg. Trailing 4-2, Ruggear chose down to start the third period but could not break free of a strong Dickinson ride. The Spartan junior worked up a solid riding time edge and then maintained control for the rest of the period for the 2:00 ride-out. Dickinson picked up a riding time point and posted the 5-2 win.
285: Junior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 5 at heavyweight, met MSU's Joe Rizqallah. Wade and Rizqallah battled for position for the bulk of the first period, looking for an advantage up high. Wade nearly scored with a low single at the end of the opening period, but Rizqallah forced a tie-up that killed the clock and action moved to the second period scoreless. Wade chose down and battled off an early Rizqallah turn attempt. He then worked his way free for an escape at the 2:27 mark to take a 1-0 lead. Rizqallah turned shoulder work into a takedown on the edge of the mat to lead 2-1 with :25 on the clock and then rode Wade out to lead by one after two periods. Rizqallah chose top to start the third period, upped his riding time edge to more than a minute and then tried to turn Wade once more for back points. Wade got turned for three back points and fell behind 5-1 with 1:40 on the clock. Rizqallah picked up two more back points before Wade escaped to a 7-2 deficit. The Spartan picked up the riding time point and notched a stunning 8-2 upset win, putting MSU up 6-4.
125: True freshman Nate Morgan (McCook, Neb.) made his second Penn State start at 125 against Michigan State junior Eric Olanowski. The first year Lion took a 2-1 lead with a takedown at the 2:32 mark, his first takedown in a Penn State dual. Olanowski worked a single leg into a 3-2 lead with his first takedown. The Spartan then rode Morgan for over a minute to build up a riding time edge. Olanowski then rode Morgan out to lead 3-2 with 1:48 in riding time after one period. Olanowski chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 4-2 lead. The Spartan junior used a high single for a second takedown and led 6-2 with 1:30 on the clock. Morgan spent the final seconds of the middle stanza fighting off a turning attempt by Olanowski and trailed 6-2 heading into the third period. Morgan chose down to start the third but Olanowski continued to pile on the riding time. The Spartan clinched the riding time point before Morgan escaped to a 6-3 deficit. The Lions freshman then got in on a single leg and worked for another takedown. He got the takedown and immediately cut the Spartan loose and trailed 7-5 with :30. Morgan scrambled for another takedown but Olanowski was able to force a stalemate and killed the clock. Olanowski escaped with a hard-fought 8-5 win and put the Spartans up 9-4.
133: All-American Andrew Long (Creston, Iowa), ranked No. 9 at 133, took on Michigan State's Chris Lyon. Long picked up the first takedown at the 1:28 mark, cut Lyon loose, and began looking for more points. Long turned a high single into a second takedown and added a short ride out to lead 4-1 after 3:00 of wrestling. Long chose down to start the middle stanza and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. Long added a third takedown at the :55 mark and once again cut Lyon loose. Looking for bonus points, the Lion sophomore added one more takedown and led 9-2 after two periods. Lyon chose down to start the third period and was nearly turned as Long almost finished off a cradle. But Long eventually cut Lyon loose, took him down and cut him again to lead 11-4 with a riding time edge at the 1:00 mark. Long tacked on two more takedowns and, with a riding time point, posted a strong 16-5 major to cut Michigan State's lead to 9-8 at the break.
141: True freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 7 at 141, was to battle Michigan State's Joel Trombly but MSU forfeited giving Alton the forfeit victory and putting Penn State up 14-9.
149: Junior Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), ranked No. 5 at 149, met Spartan Dan Osterman. Molinaro took a quick lead with a high double, lifting Osterman off the mat and taking him down for the 2-0 edge. But Osterman, who entered the bout 20-5, reversed Molinaro for a second, briefly tying the bout before the two-time All-American answered with his own reversal to up his lead to 4-2 with 1:10 on the clock. Molinaro worked to turn Osterman, but the Spartan managed to keep his back off the mat and the Lion junior led 4-2 with 1:45 in riding time after one period. Molinaro chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 5-2 lead. Molinaro added a punishing high double, lifting Osterman off the mat and putting him down for a 7-2 lead with :15 on the clock. Trailing 7-2, Osterman chose neutral to start the third period. But Molinaro was undaunted, turning a strong low single into a powerful takedown and a 9-2 lead. Molinaro essentially clinched the riding time point but gave up penalty point on an illegal hold. Molinaro cut Osterman loose and then began looking for bonus points. But Osterman was able to back off the mat for nearly a minute, working the clock down to :30. Molinaro added another takedown but Osterman escaped before the bout ended, keeping Molinaro from picking up a major. Molinaro had 2:19 in riding time and posted the 12-5 decision.
157: Third-ranked freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) faced off against Michigan State's Sean McMurray at 157. Taylor took an early lead with a takedown at the 2:02 mark and then cut McMurray loose. McMurray almost notched a takedown right after his escape, but Taylor worked free, forced a reset and then notched his second takedown to up his lead to 4-2 after another McMurray escape. Taylor picked up a penalty point for McMurray grabbing the edge of the mat and then took him down for a third takedown. He nearly turned McMurray at the buzzer but led 7-2 with :57 in riding time after the opening stanza. Taylor chose neutral to start the second period and quickly turned a low single into a fourth takedown and a 9-2 lead. Taylor cut McMurray loose with :30 on the clock and then turned a near cradle into a low single and a takedown with :10 left. Taylor picked up two near fall points and led 13-3 at the end of the period. McMurray chose top to start the period but Taylor quickly escaped and then drove through the Spartan for a takedown and a 16-3 lead with a clinched riding time point. Taylor cut McMurray loose again and then added another takedown to lead 18-4, cut him again and ended the bout with a final takedown and a 20-5 technical fall at the 6:23 mark.
165: Sophomore Nick Fischer (Unionville, Pa.) met Michigan State's Bobby Nash at 165. Fisher took an early lead with a high double that he turned into a scramble and an eventual takedown with 2:32 on the clock. Fisher then put together a strong ride, building up a sizeable riding time edge with a strong performance on top. Fischer was able to keep control for the rest of the period and led 2-0 with 2:32 in riding time after one period. Fischer chose down to start the middle stanza and steadily worked his way into a reversal and a 4-0 lead with 1:16 on the clock. Fisher then put together another strong ride, keeping control of Nash for the rest of the period to carry the 4-0 lead with a clinched riding time point at 3:09. Nash chose top to start the third period, hoping to turn the Lion for near fall points. But Fischer once again worked his way into a reversal and moved out to a 6-0 lead. He then cut Nash loose and looked for one more takedown to secure a major. Fischer gained control of Nash's right leg and forced a scramble in the middle of the mat. He then lifted Nash over, got the takedown with :18 left. A ride out and riding time point gave Fischer a convincing 9-1 major with 2:54 in riding time.
174: Second-ranked freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) took to the mat at 174 to battle MSU junior Curran Jacobs. Ruth wasted no time in taking a 2-1 lead with a takedown and a Jacobs escape. Ruth proceeded to put on a takedown clinic, picking up two more quick scores to lead 6-3 with nearly 1:00 in riding time. Jacobs fought off a Ruth cradle attempt and escaped with :40 left, but Ruth's relentless offense led to another takedown and an 8-3 lead at the end of one period. Ruth chose down to start the middle period, escaped, and then took the Spartan down for another takedown and an 11-3 lead with 1:40 on the clock. Jacobs escaped to an 11-4 deficit with 1:15 on the clock, but Ruth continued to add on takedowns. The Lion freshman turned a low single into another takedown and a 13-4 lead with :30 left in the bout. Trailing 13-4 with 1:56 in riding time him, Jacobs chose down to start the third and escaped to a 13-5 deficit. The Spartan tried to convert a high single into a takedown but Ruth was able to counter and roll behind him for a takedown of his own and a 15-5 lead. Jacobs did manage an escape at the :22 mark, but Ruth was able to add a final takedown to post an 18-6 major with 3:06 in riding time, giving PSU the 30-9 victory.