The Minnesota Gophers welcome the Nebraska Cornhuskers to the Maturi Pavillion for their college wrestling home opener. 

The dual is scheduled for 10:00 PM Eastern (9:00 PM local time) and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network, which you can watch if you have a cable subscription. This is the final leg of BTN's tripleheader of college wrestling that started with Penn State at Michigan at 6PM and continued with Purdue at Iowa at 8PM before concluding with this dual. 

The Gophers are 13th nationally in FloWrestling's dual rankings while Nebraska sports a #3 ranking. 

We'll provide the play-by-play action for every bout, but first, the projected matchups. 

Projected Matchups

125: #5 Caleb Smith, Nebraska vs #20 Patrick McKee, Minnesota

133: Kyle Burwick or #25 Jacob Van Dee, Nebraska vs Jake Gliva or #22 Tyler Wells, Minnesota

141: #8 Brock Hardy, Nebraska vs #21 Vance VomBaur, Minnesota

149: #1 Ridge Lovett, Nebraska vs Drew Roberts, Minnesota

157: #3 Peyton Robb, Nebraska vs #14 Michael Blockhus, Minnesota

165: #17 Antrell Taylor, Nebraska vs Blaine Brenner, or Hunter Lyden, Minnesota

174: #19 Bubba Wilson or Elise Brown Ton, Nebraska vs #21 Andrew Sparks or Sam Skillings, Minnesota

184: #3 Lenny Pinto, Nebraska vs #10 Isaiah Salazar or Max McEnelly, Minnesota

197: #14 Silas Allred, Nebraska vs #26 Garrett Joles, Minnesota

285: Nash Hutmacher or Harley Andrews, Nebraska vs #30 Bennett Tabor, Minnesota

The first two legs of the Big Ten Network triple-header just ended, so we're just about ready to start the third and final dual meet of the night, all televised live on cable TV. 

Penn State and Iowa rolled over Michigan and Purdue, respectively. This should be a more competitive dual, though Nebraska pretty solid favorites as a team. 

125: #5 Caleb Smith, Nebraska vs #20 Patrick McKee, Minnesota

1st period: We start at 125, the most cursed weight class in the NCAA. Fireworks off the bat! Smith in on a double, but McKee counters and floats his hips to collect the three. He immediately grabs a two on one and rolls SMith over for a three count to make it 6-0. Another tilt, this time for a four-count, gives McKee a 10-0 lead with about a minute still to go in the first period. Will we see another major upset in this chaotic weight class. Restart with just 4 seconds left in the period. Smith picks up 2 cautions. Third time is clean and McKee gets the ride out and has over 2 minutes of riding time. 

2nd period: Smith takes neutral, is in on another deep double but McKee rolled through and then came out on top again. Smith shoot all the way through and ends up on bottom again. McKee looking for a turn and gets out of position and Smith makes him pay with a reversal. 13-2, Smith cuts him but there's just 15 seconds left in the period and McKee takes a 14-2 lead into the third. 

3rd period: McKee takes down and Smith cuts him again. 15-2, a takedown will do it for McKee. And there it is, 18-2 tech fall early in the third. Down goes #5! Minnesota with five points form the first bout. 

Minnesota 5, Nebraska 0

133: Kyle Burwick, Nebraska vs #22 Tyler Wells, Minnesota

1st period: Burwick gets the start, giving Van Dee a rest after his win over Iowa's Brody Teske last week. Wells got a win himself against Iowa, however it was over Kale Petersen. Active first period but no scores and no stall calls so 0-0 into the second. 

2nd period: Burwick chooses down and is right out for the first point of the match. Both wrestlers going in and out of collar ties, mostly taking half shots. No more scores and it's 1-0 still for Wells.

3rd period: Wells says he would like none of Burwick being on top and chooses neutral. Riding time not going to be a factor. And Wells must have picked up a stall earlier because he gets dinged again and it's 2-0 Burwck. Low shot from Wells and he collects two ankles for a quick takedown. Burwick kicks free and he's out after a few seconds. It's 3-3, stalling calls and escapes makes this a tied bout. No more scores so thanks to the 3 point takedown we'll go to overtime. 

Sudden Victory: Shot by Burwick, Wells sprawls and reattacks. They scramble. No scores. Great action in overtime. Wells in on a single leg. Burwick tries to roll through but Wells times the action and pounces for the sudden victory takedown and the 6-3 victory. Two in a row for the Gophers. 

Minnesota 8, Nebraska 0

141: #8 Brock Hardy, Nebraska vs #21 Vance VomBaur, Minnesota

1st period: Huskers will look to Hardy to change the momentum of this dual. Hardy throws a variety of attacks at VomBaur, nearly stepping over with a boot in off a single leg but VomBaur Houdini'd himself out of trouble. Hardy in on another deep shot but VomBaur gets his hips back and it's still 0-0 after a busy 90 seconds. VomBaur in on a shot, Hardy escapes, then nearly has a merkle but VomBaur evades again. Period ends 0-0 but we've seen plenty of action despite the bagels on the scoreboard. 

2nd period: VomBaur selects bottom to start the period. More crazy scrambling but Hardy somehow manages not to relinquish control. 1:10 on the clock after an out of bounds restart. VomBaur stands and this time escapes, riding time at 1:04. Hardy shoots right back in and this time converts cleanly for his first points and a big takedown. VomBaur out quickly again and it's 3-1 Hardy, who has 1:11 on the RT clock. Hardy was in on a shot that VomBaur rolled through and out of his clutches but the Nebraska corner threw the challenge brick. With reaction time I don't see the referee's overturning the call but we shall see. Challenge lost, still 3-2. And that's how the period ends. 

3rd period: Hardy gets a turn underneath. And he's out quickly, preserving riding time at 1:03, but he's already leading so those 3 seconds don't matter much to VomBauer. Especially not now as Hardy hits a smooth, smooth slide-by and now leads 7-2 deep in the match. VomBaur escapes and has plenty in the tank to keep going. Has Hardy in a cradle but no control and really no danger of putting Hardy in trouble and the buzzer sounds. Hardy gets the 8-3 win once the RT point is tacked on. Nebraska wins their first bout of the day. 

Minnesota 8, Nebraska 3

149: #1 Ridge Lovett, Nebraska vs Drew Roberts, Minnesota

1st period: Top ranked Lovett going right at Roberts with double unders. Roberts manages to circle back in but just barely. Roberts defends Lovett's first attack but he converts on the second and the 3-0 lead. Lovetts begins his hellacious ride on top. Lovetts working a variety of turns, almost had an armbar and a claw for nearfall but Roberts was able to belly out. Hasn't been able to do much else from bottom. Riding time over 90 seconds with short time left in the period. Lovett gets the rideout but no back points, 3-0 lead for Lovett.

2nd period: Lovett chooses down and is out quickly to make it 4-0. Lovett on the attack, in a scramble, trying to fight through a whizzer. Roberts rolls through and has Lovett momentarily in danger, but Lovett continues to fight through and eventually body locks Roberts to the mat at the edge right before the buzzer. 7-0 lead for Lovett.

3rd period: Roberts wisely chooses neutral. Lovett will get the major with the RT point if Roberts can't muster any points of his own. Roberts fires off a couple of attacks but Lovetts parries them away. Lovetts drops down on a single and trips Roberts to the mat for a takedown to ice late in the bout. Riding time point makes it 11-0 major decision for Lovett and Nebraska is on the comeback trail. 

Minnesota 8, Nebraska 7

157: #3 Peyton Robb, Nebraska vs #14 Michael Blockhus, Minnesota

1st period: We can do some transitive property comparisons with these two teams as they both wrestled Iowa last weekend. Robb gave up a late takedown to lose to Franek, while Blockhus scored a late takedown to beat Franek. Robb is still the favorite but obviously you can't count out Blockhus! Robb snatches a single leg early, then muscles Blockhus (no small feat) down to the mat for the first score. Robb recovered from a horrific skin infection that started affecting him at NCAAs. Blockhus won a professional MMA fight before the season began but decided to postpone the rest of his MMA career for one last collegiate wrestling season. Blockhus escaped Robb's clutches with 59 seconds on the RT clock. Over a minute still to go in the period. Robb continues to reach in for shots. Blockhus able to fight off the last attacks with deep sprawls. 

2nd period: Robb chooses down. He escapes quickly and leads 4-1. Blockhus posts on a elbow and times a perfect double to collect a takedown which events the score at four a piece. Robb stands, Blockhus mat returns but Robb granbies and nearly has a reversal but Blockhus stops his momentum and holds him on his back for a four count. Huge turn of a events. Robb able to escape to make it 8-5 in Blockhus' favor before the buzzer.

3rd period: Blockhus has choose and goes underneath. Riding time was run down last period so Robb will have to turn or cut him. BLockhus stands after about 10 seconds or so and meets little resistance for an escape and a 9-5 lead. Robb on the attack. Robb shoots, a scramble, Blockhus comes out on top and now leads 12-5. Massive takedown. Robb escapes with minimal resistance. 30 seconds to go, 12-6 lead for Blockhus, who's now pushing for a major. A shot from Blockhus, stalemated. Shoots again and its stuffed. But he'll still get the dub as time runs out. 12-6 decision and upset for Blockhus over Robb. Big win for the Gophers as we hit the halfway point. 

Minnesota 11, Nebraska 7

165: #17 Antrell Taylor, Nebraska vs Blaine Brenner, Minnesota

1st period: Nebraska still favored at this point but their margin for error is shrinking. Taylor and Brenner in a nice scramble in the first minute but no score comes out of it. Still zeroes after two minutes of wrestling. Just when it looked like we'd get a scoreless first, Taylor posts on an elbow, locks around the body and returns Brenner to the mat for a text books short time score. 3-0 going into the second. 

2nd period: Brenner chooses down, stands and escapes quickly. 3-1 still for Taylor, RT not a factor at the moment. Brenner shoots, Taylor sprawls, they wrestle in short offense down on the mat for a bit and then back to neutral. Under a minute left in the period. Brenner tries to scurry across the mat to one of Taylor's ankles but Taylor slides out of danger. Period ends, still 3-1 for Taylor. 

3rd period: Taylor's turn on bottom. He's up and out in a hurry to extend his lead back to three. 4-1, Brenner goes on the attack from neutral. 90 seconds left in regulation. Snap down and well timed go behind for Taylor and now he's got a 7-1 lead. Nebraska's bench wants Taylor to cut him and go for the major, which is in reach because of the three point takedown. Brenner's out with a little less than a minute to go. RT not going to be a factor. Taylor leads 7-2. Taylor with a body lock. He's going for it. Taylor gets Brenner back down on the mat but no takedown. It'll be a 7-2 decision. Or 8-2? Missed a penalty point or something there. Either way, still a regular decision. Nebraska back to within one. 

Minnesota 11, Nebraska 10

174: #19 Bubba Wilson, Nebraska vs Sam Skillings, Minnesota

1st period: It'll be Wilson and Skillings, Brown Ton and Sparks the night off. First period is spent almost exclusively in collar ties, knees scarcely grazing the mat. At least until the final ten seconds when we get a mini flurry. 0-0 at the buzzer. 

2nd period: Wilson chooses bottom. He's up and out after 15 seconds of RT accumulates for Skillings. Both wrestlers take turns firing off shots, neither gets in very deep. The period ends with not much additional action and no additional scores. 

3rd period: Skillings turn on bottom. He's out in 5 seconds to tie the score 1-1. Skillings now down on a single leg. Here's the best scramble we've seen thus far. Good defense from Wilson, no score as they go out of bounds. Skillings shoots again but Wilson down blocks and goes behind for three and a 4-1 lead. Mat return from Wilson He may have nearfall as well but Skillings bellies out. Now the ref stops time to check on Skillings, his head hit the mat pretty hard and he may need concussion protocol. Skillings says he's fine but then the ref wants to review to see if there was nearfall. No nearfall, no concussion, no injury time, back to action, Skillings still down. He escapes quickly on the restart, 4-2 Wilson leads, RT not going to be a factor, under 30 seconds. Continuous shots from Skillings but Wilson holds his ground and keeps Skillings at bay. 4-2 victory for Wilson which gives Nebraska their first lead of the dual. 

Nebraska 13, Minnesota 11

184: #3 Lenny Pinto, Nebraska vs #10 Isaiah Salazar, Minnesota

1st period: Now it's Minnesota that will need to reverse momentum and mount a comeback. First shot from Salazar but Pinto pancakes him to his back with double overs. No control and no nearfall awarded though and Nebraska lost their challenge early in the Hardy match so it's still 0-0 even after that dramatic throw. Action slowed down after that, though there were a few smaller flurries. Certainly nothing as dramatic. At least until the final 10 seconds, as Salazar gets in on a single leg and finished the takedown one second after time expired. At least that's what the referee says, and now Minnesota is going to challenge. And call is upheld on review. Looked like less than a second on the replay. So both guys just missed out on points and its 0-0 after 3 minutes of wrestling, 

2nd period: Pinto takes bottom, and he's out in 10 seconds, taking the lead 1-0. Action slows again until about 30 seconds left and Salazar reattacks and snatches up two ankles. Some time was run off on the finish so Salazar only needed about a ten second ride out and he got it to take a 3-1 lead into the final period of regulation. 

3rd period: Salazar has choice and he'll try bottom for the first time this matchup. He's out quickly to make it 4-1. Riding time won't be a factor. Pinto tries a level change, nice attack, nice defense, no score. One minute remaining. Single leg from Pinto, good sprawl, whizzer and turn by Salazar to face Pinto and fend off the attack. 30 seconds to go. Pinto keeps coming but Salazar knows he's coming. Final seconds, Pinto going kitchen sink but Salazar won't go down. Huge win for the Gopher as Salazar defeat a top 5 opponent 4-1. 

Minnesota 14, Nebraska 13

197: #14 Silas Allred, Nebraska vs #26 Garrett Joles, Minnesota

1st period: Last weekend, Iowa's Zach Glazier beat Joles 4-2 but majored Allred 11-2. The transitive property only carries so much weight in matchups, however, so Allred, who was a bloodrounder last season, is still the favorite on paper. Both wrestlers took some shots, slapped some of their opponent's legs, but didn't come very close to scoring. 0-0 after three minutes. 

2nd period: Allred goes underneath. Big mat return for Joles, he's accumulated about 30 seconds of RT. Joles tries to lock up a far side cradle but Allred breaks the lock, stands and is free. 1-0 Allred, Joles has 39 ticks on the RT clock. Shot by Allred, Joles counters, nearly has the go-behind but Allred does a great job denying him. Period ends still 1-0 Allred. 

3rd period: Joles unsurprisingly takes down. Joles rolls through and turns in, nearly has a reversal but Allred able to lock around an ankle and I guess that's not a count? Yeah guess not. Anyhow, restart, Joles tries to roll through again but Allred stops him and locs up a cradle. Allred threatening to rock Joles over for nearfall but Joles breaks the lock and escapes to knot up the score. 45 seconds left in the period, riding time not a factor. Shot from Joles, stopped by Allred. Another shot from Joles, nice counter from Allred but he can't convert. And we're going to overtime, 1-1, though plenty of action in the last 2 periods. 

Sudden Victory: Sweep single from Joles, looking for an angle but Allred squares up and sprawls. Back to neutral, another shot by Joles, this time Allred gets in deep on a reattack, and there's the takedown. Allred wins it and Nebraska retakes the lead!

Nebraska 16, Minnesota 14

285: Harley Andrews, Nebraska vs #30 Bennett Tabor, Minnesota

1st period: Winner take all for the heavies! No Hutmacher for Nebraska, so the Polar Bear will not be taking the mat. Tabor the slight favorite on paper but we've seen our fair share of upsets tonight so call it a toss up. Shot by Andrews, reattack by Tabor, no score. Low single leg for Andrews and he converts for three in a slick looking shot for a heavyweight. Andrews with a leg in and a cross body ride. Andrews with over a minute of riding time, less than a minute left in the period. Tabor is out to make it 3-1 but Andrews has 1:28 on the RT clock. Period ends the same way, still 3-1 Andrews.

2nd period: Tabor chooses down. A quick escape will be crucial for the Gopher. And he gets out in a hurry, stopping Andrews from sinking his boots in. 3-2 early in the second. Andrews shoots again, Tabor misses on the go behind. Tabor drives Andrews out of bounds and Andrews is dinged for stalling. Back to neutral, one minute left in the second, still 3-2. Throw by attempt by Tabor, the both slip and hit the mat. Whizzer sunk in deep for Andrews. Tabor trying to shelf the leg, Andrews cranking down on that whizzer. Tabor steps up with the leg, limp arms out of the whizzer and collects the takedown. Gets the rideout and a huge momentum swing for Tabor, who leads 5-3 as we go to the third. Andrews with 1:14 of riding time. 

3rd period: Andrews says no thanks to bottom and goes neutral. Andrews in on a single, there's an extended flurry, Andrews fights through a far ankle scramble and collects three. Massive! But he's holding on too long to Tabor's ankles and he gets hit for stalling. 6-6, but Tabor has riding time nearly locked up. Restart, Tabor is out quickly, it's 7-6 for Tabor but basically 7-7. They walk toward the boundary. Lateral drop for Andrews! They hit the mat, Andrews covers for three! What? Why? How? Doesn't matter, Harley up 9-7, with riding time locked up. Restart in short time. Andrs with a leg and a side headlock. He'll hold on for the win! Lateral drop with the dual on the line for the win! Incredible!

WIld wild finish for these heavyweights! Minnesota so close. Nebraska gritted it out. Harley Andrews the Husker hero! 10-7 officially the score of that bout. 

Very fun dual. A+. Well done. 

FINAL TEAM SCORE: Nebraska 19, Minnesota 14

That'll do it for the BTN triple-header. Lots of good wrestling, thanks for following along on these live blogs. Apologies for the typos and see you next time!