Will Nebraska Beat Penn State On Friday?

Nebraska is coming off a tough dual loss to Iowa, but are they poised to beat Penn State?

Jan 21, 2020 by David Bray

Will Nebraska Beat Penn State On Friday?

Nebraska is coming off losses to Wisconsin and Iowa but has a lineup that should present a serious challenge to Penn State in this Friday's dual. Here's a breakdown of what this dual could look like.

Already a subscriber? Log In

Nebraska is coming off losses to Wisconsin and Iowa but has a lineup that should present a serious challenge to Penn State in this Friday's dual. Here's a breakdown of what this dual could look like.

Potential Lineups:

125: Brandon Meredith, Penn State vs Alex Thomsen, Nebraska

133: #4 Roman Bravo-Young, Penn State vs #15 Ridge Lovett, Nebraska

141: #2 Nick Lee, Penn State vs #6 Chad Red, Nebraska

149: Jarod Verkleeren vs #16 Collin Purinton, Nebraska

157: Bo Pipher, Penn State vs #25 Peyton Robb, Nebraska

165: #1 Vincenzo Joseph, Penn State vs #5 Isaiah White, Nebraska

174: #1 Mark Hall, Penn State vs #6 Mikey Labriola, Nebraska

184: #10 Aaron Brooks, Penn State vs #6 Taylor Venz, Nebraska

197: #15 Shakur Rasheed, Penn State vs #10 Eric Schultz, Nebraska

285: #20 Seth Nevills, Penn State vs #16 Christian Lance, Nebraska

According to the rankings, Penn State is favored to win at 133, 141, 165, and 174 while Nebraska is favored at 149, 157, 184, 197, and 285. The matchup at 125 is a toss-up between unranked opponents.

So on paper, Nebraska is poised to win at least five bouts, but this dual meet should be anything but straight-forward as it will be filled with intriguing matchups.

Where Can Nebraska Gain Ground?

The 133 match between RBY and Ridge Lovett seems like Penn State's surest victory, but Lovett proved that he's ready for top competition in his 7-5 loss to Austin DeSanto last week. A Lovett win over RBY seems improbable, but Nebraska will want him to keep this match close.

Chad Red and Nick Lee have history. In high school, these two met in the Indiana state finals for the #1 spot in the country. Red overcame a 4-0 deficit in that match to maintain his #1 ranking. Last year, in a dual at Penn State, these two met for the first time in college. Lee again came out to an early lead, and Red again mounted a comeback. This time it wasn't enough, and Lee took the bout 5-4. Lee will be the favorite on Friday, but Red can certainly win.

Already a subscriber? Log In

When Mark Hall and Mikey Labriola met last year, Labriola kept the match close, but Mark Hall was largely in control of that match. It's certainly possible for Labriola to beat Hall, but if their previous match is any indication of how this one will go, that outcome is unlikely.

Vincenzo Joseph is 3-0 against Isaiah White, and all three of those decisions have been within two points with two of those matches ending in sudden-victory. White is right there with Cenzo. Can he make the kinds of adjustments he'll need to make to overcome the two-time NCAA champ?

Already a subscriber? Log In

Where Can Penn State Gain Ground?

Many of Penn State's unfavored wrestlers have the opportunity to notch upsets that would not only help them in this dual but that could move them up the rankings and move Penn State closer to Iowa in the NCAA team score projections.

Aaron Brooks is currently ranked ninth and has a big opportunity against #6 Taylor Venz. Brooks was sixth at Senior Nationals and is 7-0 so far during the college season. He has been waiting to square off against a highly ranked opponent and has a big opportunity against Venz, who is coming off a loss to Iowa true freshman Abe Assad.

Already a subscriber? Log In

At 197, #15 Shakur Rasheed will take on #10 Eric Schultz. At many points in their careers, Rasheed would have been ranked ahead of Schultz. Rasheed is 2-1 on the year with a loss to Northwestern's Lucas Davison and a win over Rutgers' Jordan Pagano. Schultz had losses to Thomas Lane and Jake Woodley at CKLV but is coming off a win over Iowa's Jacob Warner.

Like Aaron Brooks, Seth Nevills is also looking for a win over a ranked opponent this year. He'll have an opportunity against #16 Christian Lance. Nevills was a high-powered recruit coming out of high school and could have All-American potential. This is another match where a Nittany Lion isn't ranked as high but can and perhaps should win.

Both Jerod Verkleeren and Bo Pipher are also quite capable of pulling upsets in their matches at 149 and 157. This is a must-watch dual where nearly every match should be in the balance.

Biggest Questions

Will we see Brady Berge? The Penn State 157-pounder has only wrestled one match so far this season, but he will still presumably be the Penn State starter for the postseason. If he re-appears in the lineup for this dual, he would be favored against #25 Peyton Robb and could potentially swing the outcome of the dual.

What happens at 125? Nebraska's Alex Thomsen and Penn State's Brandon Meredith are both unranked but have both appeared between 20 and 25 in the rankings at various points this year. This match is difficult to predict, and if the rest of this dual goes chalk, the outcome could be critical in deciding the team score.