With the victory, OSU improved to 10-2-1 on the year. NC State fell to 8-6-0 overall.
“Overall, a good day and a lot of action, a lot of points, a lot of takedowns,†Coach John Smith said. “The takedown count was 25-1, and that's without wrestling a match at 125, so I'm pleased. That's what you're hoping for. You're hoping to see your team have a dominating performance when you have the opportunity to do it."
The Cowboys jumped out to a 15-0 lead after freshman Ladd Rupp won by forfeit, Jordan Oliver pinned Dale Shull in 2:45 and Josh Kindig used a third-period rideout to seal his 4-0 win over Darrius Little.
The featured bout of the day came at 149 pounds, where returning NCAA champion and top-ranked Darrion Caldwell used a first-period takedown to edge Jamal Parks, 3-1. The bout featured little explosive action from either wrestler, but became frantic at the end as Parks pushed to score a late takedown of his own.
"It was pretty tough. I had to watch out for him a little bit in the beginning because that is when he is most dangerous,†Parks said. “After a while that match should have been mine. I had him worn down a little bit and I didn't pull the trigger during the second period. It is not the end though. This will just help me get more prepared for March."
Smith said he felt Parks came out a little timid in his bout with Caldwell.
"I give credit to Caldwell. He had a little bit of a sense of urgency to put some points up at the end of the first period,†Smith said. “He's a smart kid and there's a reason he's an NCAA champion. He took some real attempts in that first, and towards the end of the first, had a sense of urgency to score. You're not going to beat a guy at the end of the match. The tempo picked up for Jamal in the last 45 seconds, but to beat a guy like that, you have to have tempo for seven minutes. Maybe he can take something positive from it. He's getting better and hopefully he can close that gap as we work towards the next six weeks."
It was all Cowboys from that point on, with Neil Erisman scoring an 18-2 technical fall win over Matt Nereim, Dallas Bailey recording a 15-2 major decision win over Colin Genthert, Mike Benefiel tallying a 13-2 major decision win over Quinton Godley, Chris Perry pinning Nijel Jones in 2:32, Clayton Foster pinning KaRonne Jones in 2:42 and Blake Rosholt claiming a 7-3 win over Eloheim Palma despite giving up at least 60 pounds to the Wolfpack heavyweight.
"(Palma) is the same age as Blake. He came out; he hasn't redshirted. He was the No. 1-ranked heavyweight coming out of high school his senior year when Blake was a senior. That's pretty impressive,†Smith said.
The Cowboys return to action next weekend with a pair of Big 12 duals at home against Missouri on Friday and on the road at Nebraska on Sunday.
Results:
125: Ladd Rupp (OSU) won by forfeit
133: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (OSU) fall Dale Shull (NCSU); 2:45
141: No. 17 Josh Kindig (OSU) dec. Darrius Little (NCSU); 4-0
149: No. 1 Darrion Caldwell (NCSU) dec. No. 7 Jamal Parks (OSU); 3-1
157: No. 16 Neil Erisman (OSU) TF5 Matt Nereim (NCSU); 18-2, 4:12
165: No. 15 Dallas Bailey (OSU) MD Colin Genthert (NCSU); 15-2
174: No. 16 Mike Benefiel (OSU) MD Quinton Godley (NCSU); 13-2
184: No. 13 Chris Perry (OSU) fall Nijel Jones (NCSU); 2:32
197: No. 2 Clayton Foster (OSU) fall KaRonne Jones (NCSU); 2:42
285: Blake Rosholt (OSU) dec. Eloheim Palma (NCSU); 7-3
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