LINCOLN, Neb. — Eighth-ranked Nebraska built a comfortable lead in the front half of the dual and held off No. 13 South Dakota State down the stretch for a 21-17 victory in college wrestling action Saturday night at the Devaney Center.
The Cornhuskers improved to 3-0 in duals this season while SDSU dropped to 3-2.
Nebraska held the upper hand in all four matchups between ranked wrestlers, starting with a 6-4 victory by seventh-ranked Caleb Smith over No. 17 Tanner Jordan in the first bout of the night at 125 pounds.
After Derrick Cardinal tied the dual at 3-all with a 6-1 decision for the Jackrabbits over Kyle Burwick, Nebraska reeled off four consecutive victories to take an 18-3 lead. Sixth-ranked Brock Hardy won by fall over SDSU backup Caleb Gross in the first period of their 141-pound matchup and top-ranked Ridge Lovett followed with a 5-1 decision for the Cornhuskers against Alek Martin at 149 pounds.
Third-ranked Peyton Robb scored a 6-0 decision against Cael Swensen for his second win this month against the Jackrabbits’ 16th-ranked wrestler. In another bout between ranked foes, No. 19 Antrell Taylor pulled away from SDSU’s 27th-ranked Tanner Cook for a 7-1 decision.
Cade DeVos, ranked third at 174 pounds, stemmed the tide for the Jackrabbits with a 4-2 victory over Bubba Wilson. DeVos remained undefeated on the season, improving to 9-0.
Fourth-ranked Lenny Pinto sealed the dual victory for the Cornhuskers with an 8-2 decision over No. 23 Bennett Berge, who was making his dual debut this season.
The final two matches resulted in bonus points for the Jackrabbits. Tanner Sloan, ranked sixth at 197 pounds, posted a 17-0 technical fall over Nebraska reserve Brandyn Van Tassell, while Nebraska’s starting 197-pounder, Silas Allred, moved up a weight class to meet Luke Rasmussen in the final bout of the night.
Rasmussen held a 3-1 lead late in the first period before Allred was injured and retired from the match.
UP NEXT
The Jackrabbits return to tournament action Dec. 29-30 by sending a contingent of wrestlers to the Soldier Salute in Coralville, Iowa.
#8 NEBRASKA 21, #13 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 17
125: #7 Caleb Smith (NEB) dec. #17 Tanner Jordan (SDSU), 6-4
133: #13 Derrick Cardinal (SDSU) dec. Kyle Burwick (NEB), 6-1
141: #6 Brock Hardy (NEB) def. Caleb Gross (SDSU), by fall 2:06
149: #1 Ridge Lovett (NEB) dec. Alek Martin (SDSU), 5-1
157: #3 Peyton Robb (NEB) dec. #16 Cael Swensen (SDSU), 6-0
165: #19 Antrell Taylor (NEB) dec. #27 Tanner Cook (SDSU), 7-1
174: #3 Cade DeVos (SDSU) dec. Bubba Wilson (NEB), 4-2
184: #4 Lenny Pinto (NEB) dec. #23 Bennett Berge (SDSU), 8-2
197: #6 Tanner Sloan (SDSU) tech. fall Brandyn Van Tassell (NEB), 17-0 [4:14]
285: Luke Rasmussen (SDSU) medical forfeit over Silas Allred (NEB) [2:59]
Note: Allred ranked 11th at 197 pounds
NOTES
- Nebraska leads the all-time series, 21-16-2, and has won the last 13 meetings
- Cardinal improved to 13-3 this season while already exceeding his win total from a year ago (11)
- Sloan notched the 94th win of his career (94-21 overall) and improved to 52-4 in career dual matches