"This is something we needed," Illinois coach Mark Johnson said. "We needed a team performance like we had tonight to get a win by this kind of margin. We we wrestled well at the start, in the middle and at the end and it showed on the scoreboard."
The match started at 125, where B.J. Futrell blocked a shot by Akif Eren off the starting whistle, got a double-leg and put Eren on his back for the takedown. After a restart, Eren got free Futrell shot off a second restart and got a double-leg for a 4-1 lead. Futrell turned Eren for a two-point near-fall with just under a minute left in the first period and Futrell rode him out for the 6-1 lead with 2:04 of riding time after three minutes. Eren started down in the second and, after another restart, Futrell let Eren up to make the score 6-2. Eren was charged with his second stalling call, giving Futrell a point, and Futrell powered through on a double-leg for a 9-2 lead after the second period. The wrestlers started neutral in the third and Eren got a single-leg that he secured for the takedown. He let Futrell up to make the score 10-4 and Futrell quickly shot for and got another takedown with one minute left in the match. Futrell let him up off a restart and, after not additional scoring, got the riding time point for a 13-5 major decision.
No. 3 Jimmy Kennedy controlled Carson Beebe for an early takedown and rolled him into a cradle for a two-point near-fall and a quick 4-0 lead. Beebe escaped with a minute left in the first, but Kennedy got a single-leg and controlled the second leg for a takedown and a 6-1 lead after a period. Kennedy started dowon in the second and quickly escaped. Beebe shot with 1:30 left in the period, but Kennedy fought it off and scored the takedown at the edge of the mat. Kennedy worked a strong body scissors looking for a turn, but Beebe avoided the back points and Kennedy led 9-1 after five minutes. Beebe started down in the third and Kennedy let him up and got a throw-by takedown before letting Beebe up. Kennedy quickly got a leg and finished the takedown for a 13-3 lead. Kennedy let him up and got another throw-by takedown, and Beebe was given a stalling warning before Kennedy let him up. Kennedy got another takedown and Beebe was hit with another stalling warning, but time ran out before Kennedy could secure another takedown, giving him a 19-5 major decision after adding the riding time point.
At 141, Ryan Prater shot early and got a leg, but Purdue's Matt Hemry fought him off long enough to get a stalemate after the wrestlers went off the mat. After another near-takedown at the edge, Hemry put Prater on his back once again right on the edge but didn't control him, allowing Prater to scramble out and get the takedown for a 2-0 lead. Prater got a quick two-point near-fall off the restart and looked for another tilt before the first period ended. He wasn't able to get it and led 4-0 after three minutes. Hemry started down in the second and Prater turned him for two more back points. Prater continued to work over Hemry and got another two-point near-fall for an 8-0 lead and 2:47 of riding time after two periods. The wrestlers started neutral in the third and Hemry got a leg, but Prater fought him off and got the takedown. Prater got another turn for three back points third time and Hemry was hit with stalling, keeping Prater from the final near fall and holding him to a 13-0 major decision.
Next up, No. 7 Jake Patacsil got a quick takedown on the Illini's Eric Terrazas at 149 and started to work for a turn. Terrazas was hit with a stalling warning with 1:20 left in the first and Patacsil got a turn for a three-point near-fall and a 5-0 lead. Patacsil got Terrazas on his back three more times before the end of the period for a 14-0 lead after a period. Patacsil started on top in the second and got the decisive turn and three-point near-fall for the 17-0 technical fall at 3:36.
At 157, No. 2 Mike Poeta got a takedown 25 seconds into the match against Colton Salazar, but the Boilermaker escaped in 16 seconds. Poeta got a leg near the edge and Salazar tried to get out, but Poeta controlled the second leg for the takedown and a 4-1 lead. Poeta was finally able to turn Salazar for the three-point near-fall just before the end of the period for a 7-1 margin. Poeta started down in the second and quickly sat out for the escape. Without any further scoring in the period, Poeta led 8-1 after five minutes. Salazar started down in the third and Poeta looked for the quick turn before letting him up. Salazar shot and got an ankle, but Poeta scrambled around on him to avoid the takedown and work into a potentially dangerous hold position that was broken. Poeta got a takedown with 40 seconds left plus a two-point near-fall for a 12-2 lead. He let Salazar up and looked for a takedown, but the Boiler held him off and Poeta got the 13-2 major decision after the riding time point was added, putting Illinois ahead 16-5 at the intermission.
No. 18 Roger Smith-Bergsrud got in on a leg against No. 11 Luke Manuel, but Manuel slithered out of it to avoid any scoring. Smith-Bergsrud shot near the end of the first period and Manuel sidestepped it but was called for stalling and the period ended scoreless. Manuel started down in the second and escaped in 17 seconds and after a scoreless rest of the period, Smith-Bergsrud started down in the third. The Illini escaped with 30 seconds left, Manuel was hit with a stalling point, giving Smith-Bergsrud a 2-1 lead, and Smith-Bergsrud got both ankles near the edge of the mat before securing the takedown as time expired for the 4-2 upset victory.
At 174, John Dego secured a takedown just over a minute into the match against Nick Corpe and rode him for exactly one minute before Corpe escaped. After a blood timeout, Dergo countered a shot by Corpe, grabbed a leg and tripped him for the takedown and a 4-1 lead with 1:17 of riding time after the first period. Dergo started down in the second and quickly escaped. Off a restart, Corpe got a double-leg takedown, but Dergo quickly escaped. Near the edge of the mat, Corpe got a throw-by takedown to make it 6-5 in Dergo's favor and the Illini got out quickly once again. Dergo got an ankle and controlled the second one for a takedown on the edge of the mat, then worked for the turn, but couldn't get it and took a 9-5 lead into the third. After a neutral start to the third, Corpe shot and Dergo fended it off, then turned the corner and got behind him for the takedown. Dergo let him up, looking for a takedown to get a major decision, and got both ankles before the horn, but Corpe got into a waistlock to keep the final to a 12-6 win for Dergo.
No. 12 Jordan Blanton got a high crotch into a single-leg against No. 14 A.J. Kissel and spun him around for the takedown. Blanton worked to turn the Boiler, but Kissel fended it off before nearly getting a reversal to end the first period with Blanton up 2-0. The pair started neutral in the second and, off a restart, Blanton got a single-leg that he worked into a takedown before Kissel escaped to make the score 4-1, which is how the second period ended. Blanton started down in the third and was charged with a talling warning before Blanton got a reversal. Kissel escaped and Blanton scored a takedown after a sloppy shot by Kissel. The Boiler escaped, but Blanton got another single-leg and took him over for another takedown. Blanton rode him out and added the riding-time point for an 11-3 major decision, sealing the team victory by giving the Illini a 26-5 lead.
After a last-minute scratch to Patrick Bond, junior Jake Norman stepped on the mat against No. 13 Logan Brown. Brown got a single-leg with 35 seconds left in the first period and tripped Norman for the takedown, then got the Illini on his back for a fall in 2:35.
In the final match, No. 10 John Wise and Chris Kasten battled through a scoreless first period and Wise started down in the second. Wise escaped in 34 seconds and the pair went scoreless the rest of the period as Wise led 1-0 after five minutes. Kasten started down in the third and escaped to tie the bout at 1, but Wise got a leg with 50 seconds left and worked it into a takedown with 34 seconds left and rode him out for the 3-1 win and the 29-11 team victory.
The Fighting Illini return to Huff Hall on Friday, Feb. 6 for their third-straight televised dual on the Big Ten Network. Illinois will face No. 19 Northwestern at 7 p.m. and the BTN will televise the match on a tape delay at 9:30 p.m.
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