Nebraska Wrestling Shows Grit, But Falls Just Short in Nail-Biter Against Ohio State
Coming off a tough loss to Iowa, Nebraska wrestling returned home Sunday afternoon looking to bounce back against a top-tier Ohio State squad. What unfolded at the Devaney Center was a gritty, emotional rollercoaster that came down to the final bout. Despite a valiant second-half surge, the Huskers fell just short, 17-16, in a dual that looked nothing like their lopsided loss to the Buckeyes back in November.
This time, it was a fight from start to finish. Nebraska dropped its first four matches of the afternoon, but clawed its way back into contention, setting the stage for a dramatic heavyweight finale. While the comeback ultimately fell short, the Huskers showed serious fight-something head coach Mark Manning was quick to point out.
“A lot of resilience today,” Manning said. “Sometimes your faith has to get tested, and you know that you have to persevere.
That’s how you get tough-minded. Their faith and perseverance showed today, and that’s something that’s hard to coach.”
Let’s break down the key moments that shaped this near-miss for Nebraska.
Taylor Sparks the Turnaround
With Nebraska trailing and searching for a spark, senior 165-pounder Antrell Taylor delivered. Facing an unranked opponent in Maddox Shaw-subbing in for No.
1 Brandon Cannon-Taylor wasted no time making his presence felt. He opened the bout with two clean takedowns and never looked back.
By the end of the first period, Taylor had built a 6-1 lead. He kept the pressure on through all three periods, eventually earning an 11-3 major decision.
That win not only put points on the board but injected life into a Husker squad in desperate need of momentum. Taylor’s ninth straight win moved him to 15-2 on the season, and more importantly, gave Nebraska a foothold in the dual.
Minto Delivers a Signature Win
Next up: Christopher Minto. The sophomore at 174 pounds had just gone to sudden victory against Iowa’s No.
3 Patrick Kennedy two days earlier, falling 2-1. This time, he flipped the script.
Minto squared off with No. 4 Carson Kharchla and battled through another tense, tactical match.
After trading escapes in regulation, Minto seized his moment in sudden victory, scoring a decisive takedown to secure a 4-1 win. It was his biggest victory of the season and capped a run of three straight Nebraska wins that had the Devaney crowd roaring back to life.
Ferrari’s Comeback Bid Falls Short
By the time heavyweight AJ Ferrari stepped onto the mat, Nebraska had clawed all the way back from a 14-0 deficit to take a 16-14 lead. All eyes were on the No. 4-ranked Ferrari, who had been a closer for the Huskers all season long-except when facing Ohio State’s Nick Feldman.
Unfortunately for Nebraska, history repeated itself. Feldman, ranked No. 3, once again got the better of Ferrari, this time in sudden victory. A late takedown sealed the match and the dual for the Buckeyes, handing Ferrari just his second loss of the year and leaving the Huskers one point shy of a massive upset.
Other Notable Performances
- Kael Lauridsen (125 lbs) had a rough go against No. 2 Nic Bouzakis. After falling behind 13-2 in the first period, he couldn’t mount a comeback and dropped a 16-4 major decision.
- Jacob Van Dee (133 lbs) battled hard against undefeated freshman Ben Davino, but couldn’t break through in a 7-2 decision loss. Van Dee is now 12-3 on the season.
- Brock Hardy (141 lbs) ran into a buzzsaw in No. 1 Jesse Mendez. Hardy, now 1-5 all-time against Mendez, fell behind early and couldn’t recover, losing 14-3 in a dominant major decision by the reigning national champ.
- Chance Lamer (149 lbs) showed serious improvement from his Friday loss, pushing No. 4 Ethan Stiles to sudden victory before falling 6-3. A third-period reversal gave Lamer a shot, but Stiles escaped danger and closed it out with a takedown.
- LJ Araujo (165 lbs) bounced back from a loss to Michael Caliendo with a 1-0 decision over e’Than Birden. It wasn’t flashy-just a second-period escape-but it got the job done and pushed Araujo to 11-5 on the season.
- Silas Allred (184 lbs) came through in a gritty sudden victory win over No. 5 Dylan Fishback. After a third-period injury timeout for Fishback, Allred stayed composed and notched the escape he needed in the fifth period to claim the 2-1 win.
- Camden McDanel (197 lbs) delivered one of the most electric moments of the day. With the crowd on edge, McDanel landed a last-second takedown to beat No.
10 Luke Geog, 9-6. That win capped a strong stretch for McDanel, who’s now 8-4 against ranked opponents this season.
What’s Next
Nebraska showed plenty of fight, but the margin for error in Big Ten wrestling is razor-thin. The Huskers will need to regroup quickly as they head to Happy Valley next Friday to take on No.
1 Penn State. That dual starts at 7 p.m.
CT and will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
If Sunday’s performance proved anything, it’s that this Nebraska squad has the heart and depth to hang with the best. Now it’s about closing the gap-and finishing the fight.