No. 2 Oklahoma State put No. 3 Nebraska wrestling in a hole early and never let the Huskers out of it, rolling to a 27-6 win Friday, Nov. 13, in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
The Cowboys controlled the dual from the start, and Nebraska spent much of the night fighting just to keep matches close. Oklahoma State led 18-0 at the break, with the biggest swing coming at 133 pounds when No.
1 Jax Forrest beat No. 8 senior Jacob Van Dee by tech fall. The first five bouts were especially rough for Nebraska, as the Huskers were forced into defense across all three periods and couldn’t get much going offensively.
Nebraska’s best chances to put points on the board in the first half came at 125 and 157, where No. 4 junior Vincent Robinson faced Rocklin Zinkin and No. 3 senior Antrell Taylor battled No. 1 Landon Robideau. In both matches, the Huskers were mostly limited to escape points.
The first takedown for Nebraska came at 174, when No. 2 junior Christopher Minto took down Lorenzo Norman in the third period and went on to win 4-1.
Junior Cornell transfer Meyer Shapiro brought some life to the lineup after the break. He came out aggressively against No.
3 Casey Swinderski at 165 and pushed the pace through the first two periods before Swinderski finally secured a takedown and escaped with a 4-2 win. Even in defeat, Shapiro gave Nebraska a jolt, and that energy carried into the next matches.
Minto followed with his win, and 184-pound senior Penn State transfer Lucas Cochran dropped a hard-fought 9-4 match to No. 11 Mikey White.
Shapiro’s performance stood out beyond the score. He has now shown twice that he can provide a spark for Nebraska, and his flexibility will matter as the season moves along.
His natural weight is 157, where Taylor is currently holding down the spot. He won’t wrestle in the postseason, but he can shift around weight classes when LJ Araujo returns from a hand injury to take over at 165.
Even with the lopsided result, there’s not much reason for Nebraska to panic. The Huskers were outtakedown 15-2, but the atmosphere on the road and the fact that the lineup wasn’t at full strength give the loss some context. Nebraska looked more energized after Shapiro’s narrow defeat, and the bigger test now is how the team responds over the next few weeks.
The night opened with Robinson dropping a 2-1 decision in double overtime at 125. Van Dee then lost by tech fall at 133, 21-6, and freshman Lincoln Sledzianowski fell 10-2 at 141.
At 149, No. 5 senior Anthony Echemendia lost 4-2 to No. 2 Sergio Vega.
Taylor’s 3-1 loss at 157 came after two stalling calls went against him. At 197, No. 5 junior Camden McDanel lost his second straight ranked matchup, falling 4-1 in overtime to No.
2 Cody Merrill.
Nebraska’s final win came from No. 14 redshirt freshman heavyweight Cade Ziola, who finished the dual with a late 4-1 victory by scoring the takedown with fewer than five seconds left.
The Huskers head to Pennsylvania next, where they’ll face No. 24 Penn on Saturday, Nov. 21, at noon. ESPN+ will carry the dual.
In Other News...
Fred Hoiberg Just Landed The Kind Of Recruit Nebraska Never Gets
Nebraska basketball has added a recruit it almost never gets, signing five-star forward Dawson Battie and giving Fred Hoiberg a centerpiece for the 2027 class. The 6-foot-8 forward from Texas is now the highest-rated prospect in program history by composite score, a notable milestone for a program that has spent years trying to climb into a different recruiting tier. He joins four-star wing Ty Schlagel in a class that already looks like a meaningful step forward for the Huskers.
Hoiberg has made a point of emphasizing fit as much as talent, and both Battie and Schlagel were described as players who match the system and the culture Nebraska is trying to build. Batties decision matters not just because of the ranking attached to him, but because he chose Nebraska over several top programs, the kind of competition the Huskers usually have trouble winning. For a program looking to turn recruiting momentum into something more lasting, this is the sort of signing that can change the conversation, even if the real payoff is still down the road. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Brings A Dangerous Early Test For Nebraskas Defense
Nebraska heads to the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls on Friday with an early chance to find out how real its defensive edge is against a Boise State team that has looked every bit the part of a dangerous nonconference opponent. Both teams are 3-0, and the Cornhuskers bring a No. 25 AP ranking into a matchup that has the feel of a measuring-stick game before the schedule gets even busier.
Boise State has already made a habit of piling up points and sits atop the Pac-12 in several statistical categories, which is exactly the kind of profile that can stress a Nebraska defense still trying to establish its identity. The Cornhuskers also have South Dakota waiting next, so this stretch offers a quick read on where Nebraska stands and how much margin it has before the seasons first real tests start to stack up. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Is Winning But One Problem Still Looms
At halftime, Nebraska had built a clean 14-0 lead and looked in control on both sides of the ball. Anthony Colandrea was sharp through the air, completing 8 of 12 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown, and he added another score on the ground while the Huskers piled up 244 yards of offense against a Rutgers defense that had little room to breathe.
The bigger concern, though, is whether Nebraska can keep that pace after the break. The defense has been dominant so far, holding Rutgers to just 65 yards, but the second half often asks different questions than the first, especially when a team is trying to turn a strong opening into a complete performance. [Read more 🡒]