Iowa recorded a 32-5 advantage in takedowns and scored bonus points in five of its eight wins, including three pins and a pair of major decisions.
"We have to have those fire fights like that," said Head Coach Tom Brands. "We have to embrace them with all these guys. You are not going to be able to strategize to win after win after win. You are going to have to be tough and physical. I have said it a lot over the years; if you are ready to go, good things happen. Our guys do a good job of getting ready to go, and that is what we have to keep doing. We have to stay tough as a team."
Defending national champions Matt McDonough used five takedowns and piled up six nearfall points to build an 18-5 lead at 125. The top-ranked sophomore then put Justin Brooks on his back with 1:01 left in the bout to give Iowa an early 6-0 team lead. The pin was McDonough's fourth straight. He now owns a 17-1 overall record and remains unbeaten in 18 matches at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Eighth-ranked Tony Ramos kept the pin party rolling when he flattened Matt Ortega in 6:26. Ramos racked up eight takedowns, four in the third period alone, before putting six points on the board with his second pin of the season. He has won a team-high seven consecutive bouts.
"You can see it in how Tony Ramos walks," said Brands. "He has energy; he thrives on the challenge. In order to wrestle that way you better be ready. You see him staring the opponent down at the beginning. That is good. He brings a lot of energy, and that is what we need."
Junior Montell Marion took the mat to a roaring ovation from the 7,067 fans in attendance. Marion, making his first appearance of the season inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, used three takedowns, one nearfall and a bonus point for riding time to secure a 13-5 major decision at 141.
Fourteenth-ranked Kurt Kinser topped Matt Ballweg 2-0 at 149 to trim Iowa's lead to 16-3 before freshman Derek St. John erupted the crowd with a fall against fifth-ranked Paul Young. St. John built a 5-0 lead against Young before recording the fall with :40 remaining in the bout.
Senior Aaron Janssen followed St. John's upset with a major decision over Ryan LeBlanc at 165. Janssen battled to a 4-2 lead after two periods before using four takedowns in the third frame to score the 14-5 win. The major decision was Janssen's fifth of the season and helped extend Iowa's lead to 26-3.
Senior Jake Kerr made his first appearance at 174 since posting a 5-3 record at the weight class in 2008-09. The Hawkeye senior used a second period escape to enter the third period with a 1-0 edge. Indiana's Nick Avery knotted the score with an early escape before Kerr scored a takedown and a pair of nearfall points with two seconds left in the match to record a 5-1 win.
Hawkeye sophomore Grant Gambrall stretched Iowa's team lead to 32-3 with a 5-3 decision over Indiana's Eric Cameron. The 13th-ranked Iowa City native improved to 15-4 on the season. He is a perfect 8-0 in bouts inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The Hawkeyes scored their second upset of the evening when No. 12 Luke Lofthouse scored a 10-5 decision against No. 5 Matt Powless. Lofthouse used four takedowns, two in the final period, to hand Powless just his third loss of the season.
The Hoosiers picked up their second win of the night when No. 9 Ricky Alcala escaped with a 6-5 win over Hawkeye junior Blake Rasing. Rasing used a third period escape and takedown to battle back from a 6-2 deficit, but Alcala weathered a stall warning in the final frame and held Rasing off for the decision.
The No. 2 Hawkeyes return to action to face No. 24 Purdue (5-6-1, 0-2 Big Ten) Feb. 11. Iowa then returns home to honor its five seniors against No. 13 Michigan (9-2, 4-0 Big Ten) Feb. 13. The Hawkeyes will wrestle the Boilermakers at 6 p.m. (CT) at Penn High School in Mishawaka, IN. Iowa's bout with Michigan begins at 1 p.m. on Mediacom Mat inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Results:
125 - Matt McDonough (I) pinned Justin Brooks (IU), 5:59
133 - Tony Ramos (I) pinned Matt Ortega (IU), 6:26
141 - Montell Marion (I) maj. dec. Mitchell Richey (IU), 13-5
149 - Kurt Kinser (IU) dec. Matt Ballweg (I), 2-0
157 - Derek St. John (I) pinned Paul Young (IU), 6:20
165 - Aaron Janssen (I) maj. dec. Ryan LeBlanc (IU), 14-5
174 - Jake Kerr (I) dec. Nick Avery (IU), 5-1 *
184 - Grant Gambrall (I) dec. Eric Cameron (IU), 5-3
197 - Luke Lofthouse (I) dec. Matt Powless (IU), 10-5
Hwt. - Ricky Alcala (IU) dec. Blake Rasing (I), 6-5
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