The win improved the second-ranked Cowboys to 3-0 on the year, with two of those wins coming over teams ranked in the top 10. No. 8 Oklahoma fell to 5-1 in defeat.
“I look at it as a good win, and a good win for several freshmen,” OSU coach John Smith said. “I am not going to be too hard on their performances, but a few of them, it didn't cut it tonight."
With the dual starting at 184 pounds, Perry had a chance to avenge his loss earlier in the season to No. 13 Erich Schmidtke, and he did so by a comfortable 6-1 margin. Perry bagged a takedown with 51 seconds left in the first period and rode the Sooner out for the rest of the period. Perry opened the second period with a quick escape to build his advantage to 3-0, then after Schmidtke got on the board with an escape to start the third, Perry added a final takedown and riding time to seal his 6-1 win.
“First time I had ever started a dual off. I'd never had that experience,” Perry said. “I think this time, I talked to some of our coaches just about controlling your emotions before a match. Just relax and don't hype it up; you can exhaust yourself. I felt like I handled it pretty well. I was calm. I felt like my conditioning was there. My legs were underneath me. It's fun. It's still fun. You have to stay focused, but I felt good."
Foster followed Perry’s upset win with a demoralizing 14-3 major decision win over Keldrick Hall that put the Cowboys up in the dual by a 7-0 score and put the Sooners into a bad situation. Foster took Hall down five times, and Hall was also slapped for stalling twice.
The key moment of the dual came at heavyweight, however, where the unranked Rosholt scored a 4-3 upset win over No. 8 Nathan Fernandez. Rosholt -- who weighed in at 214 pounds -- was giving up approximately 55 pounds to the highly-favored Fernandez, but controlled the bout from the start. Rosholt bagged the first takedown of the bout in the first period and nearly turned Fernandez to his back twice before getting hit for locking his hands and then yielding an escape. With the score deadlocked at two going into the second period, Fernandez took his first lead with an escape 23 seconds in. The third period started with Rosholt in the down position. The weight differential figured to be an issue in that circumstance, but the Cowboy hit a switch with 25 seconds left to score a reversal. Riding time was no factor, so the reversal proved to be the difference in the freshman’s big win.
"It's a big win for me, for sure. It's definitely my best one yet,” Rosholt said. “It's only my third match to really come out and prove myself in a weight that I am a little bit small for."
Smith said Rosholt’s win could springboard him into bigger things.
"You look at Blake's match, and he did a pretty good job,” Smith said. “As far as the first takedown of the match, it was an important takedown. He pretty much out-wrestled him in the first period, but then it ended up 2-2. Obviously, the reversal in the third period is something you don't see very often out of heavyweights. He's got a big upside to him and he wrestled a wrestler that has been wrestling well this year and who is hot, coming off wrestling well in Las Vegas. It should give him a real boost.”
Rosholt’s win gave the Pokes a commanding 10-0 lead in the dual, but after No. 7 Jarrod Patterson of Oklahoma nipped No. 5 Jon Morrison at 125 pounds, the OSU advantage was trimmed to 10-3.
That is where Oliver put things out of reach by pinning Jordan Keller in 3:51. Oliver bagged a quick takedown and had Keller on his back for two three-point nearfalls in the first period. Keller elected to start the second period in the neutral position, but Oliver turned him to his back again and eventually scored the pin to put the Cowboys up in the dual, 16-3 and suck the life out of any Sooner comeback.
"I think that after Blake, the only one that was motivated by it was Oliver,” Smith said. “He goes out and gets two first-period cradles and puts the guy to his back. The guy had some serious flexibility to get out of them, but then he hooked him back up and gets the pin in the second period.”
The Pokes and Sooners traded wins by decision for the rest of the way, but the bout was out of reach at that point.
The Cowboys break for final exams, then return to action when they travel to Tempe, Ariz., to face Arizona State at 8 p.m. CST on Jan. 2.
Results:
184: No. 16 Chris Perry (OSU) dec. No. 13 Erich Schmidtke (OU), 6-1
197: No. 4 Clayton Foster (OSU) major dec. Keldrick Hall (OU), 14-3
285: Blake Rosholt (OSU) dec. No. 8 Nathan Fernandez (OU), 4-3
125: No. 7 Jarrod Patterson (OU) dec. No. 5 Jon Morrison (OSU), 2-1
133: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (OSU) pinned Jordan Keller (OU), 3:51
141: No. 6 Zack Bailey (OU) dec. No. 20 Luke Silver (OSU), 8-5
149: No. 4 Jamal Parks (OSU) dec. Nick Lester (OU), 5-2
157: Matt Lester (OU) dec. No. 10 Albert White (OSU), 1-0
165: No. 8 Dallas Bailey (OSU) dec. 18 Chase Nelson (OU), 2-1
174: No. 7 Tyler Caldwell (OU) dec. No. 11 Mike Benefiel (OSU), 3-0
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