The match began at 174, where a Penn State reserve set the tone for the dual. Freshman Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) stepped in for No. 10 James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.), who was nursing a slight injury from last Sunday's match at Iowa State. Bomberger faced Indiana sophomore Mark Bennett. The red-shirt freshman had two early scoring opportunities in the first period but could not score on Bennett until time wound down. Bennett nearly scored with :15 left, but Bomberger reversed the effort and threw Bennett to the mat, getting the take down and two back points. Bennett, down 4-0, chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped. The Hoosier sophomore quickly took Bomberger down and trailed 5-3 after a Bomberger escape. The second period continued with each wrestler having scoring opportunities turned back by good defense on the part of the other man. Bomberger, up 5-3, chose down to begin the third period and was cut loose to a 6-3 lead. The Nittany Lion sophomore continued to set the tone offensively, taking shot after shot, but being held at bay by Bennett. With :20 left, Bennett nearly scored, only to be fought off and nearly scored upon by Bomberger as time wound down. Neither wrestler scored again. Bomberger posted an impressive 6-3 win to give the Nittany Lions an early 3-0 lead. He improved to 8-6 overall and got his first career dual match win in three tries. Bennett fell to 12-12.
Fresh off an upset loss last Sunday, returning All-American Eric Bradley (Plaistow, N.H.), who dropped to No. 4 at 184, met Indiana sophomore Justin Curran. Bradley got on top early, with a workmanlike take down :30 into the opening period. After working up over :30 of riding time, Bradley cut Curran and maintained a 2-1 lead. The Lion senior added another take down as the period ended to enter the second up 4-1 with a 1:06 riding time edge. Curran chose down to begin the second and was cut early to a 4-2 deficit. Dominating the dual, Bradley added a third take down halfway through the second. Bradley rode Curran out and led 6-2 with a 2:10 RT edge after two. Bradley chose down to begin the third and escaped to a 7-2 lead. A fourth take down less than a minute in had Bradley cutting Curran loose to work for bonus points. The Nittany Lion senior added a fifth take down plus the riding time point for a 12-4 major. The win put the Lions up 7-0 and improved Bradley's mark to 7-1. Curran fell to a respectable 20-10 on the year.
Returning All-American Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) met IU senior Brady Richardson in the marquee match-up of the evening. Davis, a sophomore, entered the dual ranked No. 6 and 14-3 overall while Richardson entered ranked No. 8 and 24-4. The two national powers traded offensive shots early in the bout, with neither wrestler finishing. An even first period ended scoreless. Davis chose down to begin the second and escaped quickly to a 1-0 lead. The Nittany Lion sophomore had his best scoring chance :50 into the second and finished Richardson off, taking the Hoosier senior to the mat for a 3-0 lead. Continuing to build up riding time, Davis nearly came through on a couple cradles during the tie-up, but could not finish the move as Richardson fought off his attempts at a scoring combination. Still, Davis rode Richardson out and led 3-0 with nearly a minute's worth of riding time heading into the third. Richardson chose neutral to start the third, only to have Davis quickly get in on a single leg, lift Richardson's leg high in the air and tripping him to the mat for a 5-0 lead with 1:35 left. With his riding time edge well over a minute, Davis continued to work patiently for a cradle but could not finish. The red-shirt sophomore continued to dominate Richardson from the top position, not allowing Richardson up. Davis posted a 6-0 win (after the riding time point), putting Penn State up 10-0 with the impressive victory. He improved to 15-3 overall while Richardson fell to 24-5.
At heavyweight, Penn State senior Joel Edwards (Upper Darby, Pa.), ranked No. 18, met Indiana sophomore Dave Herman. Edwards got in on five first period single legs, but Herman held Edwards off every time and kept Edwards from completing any of the take downs. The first period ended scoreless. Herman chose down to begin the second and escaped to a 1-0 lead :30 in. Edwards finally got his take down in the center of the mat with a driving take down with :20 remaining in the middle stanza. Edwards, in critical fashion, rode Herman out to maintain a 2-1 lead entering the final period. The Nittany Lion senior chose down to begin the third and, after a bit of work, scored a reversal with 1:15 left. Herman escaped to cut the lead to 4-2 with :50 left. Edwards maintained his edge for the remainder of the bout and claimed an important 4-2 win. He improved his record to 12-4 while Herman fell to 23-11. Edwards gave Penn State its fourth straight win to start the dual and put the Lions up 13-0.
Sophomore Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) faced No. 1 Joe Dubuque, Indiana's stand-out senior at 125. Dubuque, a two-time All-American and the defending national champion, entered the match with a perfect 17-0 mark. He got the first take down quickly. Haas escaped to a 2-1 deficit, only to be taken down again by Dubuque. Dubuque rode Haas out and led 4-1 with over a minute's worth of riding time after one. Dubuque chose down to begin the second and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. The Hoosier senior added two more take downs before rolling Haas to his back as the period closed to an end. Still, Dubuque opened up a 12-2 lead heading into the final period. Haas chose down to start the third. The Lion sophomore escaped after a minute but still trailed 12-3 with a minute left to wrestle. Dubuque continued to dominate the bout, however, and rolled to an impressive 19-3 technical fall at the 7:00 mark. Haas fell to 14-7 while Dubuque improved to 18-0. The Hoosier's win cut Penn State's lead to 13-5.
Nittany Lion freshman Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.), ranked No. 9 nationally, faced fellow freshman Andrae Hernandez, ranked No. 18 and undefeated in five Big Ten duals, in one of three battles between nationally ranked grapplers. Strayer had three solid scoring chances in the first, but Hernandez fought him off. The hard-fought bout was scoreless after one. Strayer chose down to begin the middle period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. From the neutral position, Strayer pushed the pace, forcing the offensive issue and nearly scoring once again midway through the second. Strayer continued to be the aggressor in the bout but could not score again and carried a 1-0 lead into the third. Hernandez chose down to start the final stanza, but Strayer maintained solid control for the better part of the period and worked up a minute-plus riding time edge. After a Hernandez escape with :30 left, Strayer quickly got in on a single leg as time wound down. While he didn't finish the shot, his riding time edge gave him an impressive 2-1 win and put Penn State up 16-5. The win improved Strayer's mark to 18-2 while Hernandez fell to 24-6. The Big Ten loss was the first of the year for Hernandez, who was 5-0 in conference action entering the bout.
Senior DeWitt Driscoll (Connellsville, Pa.), No. 10 at 141, faced Hoosier freshman Scott Kelley, up from 133. Driscoll dominated the first period, notching three easy take downs to build up a strong and impressive 6-1 lead heading into the second period with 2:16 of riding time. Kelley chose down to begin the second period, but Driscoll continued to hammer Kelley from the top position. The Nittany Lion senior added five back points, one three-point near fall and one two-point near fall, to lead 11-1 heading into the third. Driscoll chose down to begin the third and quickly reversed the Hoosier freshman to go up 13-1. A stall warning on Kelley put Driscoll up 14-1 and a technical fall was within reach for Driscoll, who had the riding time point assured. He cut Kelley loose with :40 seconds left and with :10 left, got the take down. Driscoll rode Kelley out and, with the riding time point, posted an impressive 17-2 technical fall at the 7:00 mark. Driscoll improved to 12-7 with the win while Kelley fell to 5-13. The five points put the Nittany Lions up 21-5.
At 149, co-captain James Woodall (Dupont, Pa.) looked to get back on track and clinch the team dual against Indiana junior Matt Cooper. Woodall entered the bout ranked No. 14 nationally. Woodall got the bout's first take down and led 2-1 after a Cooper escape with 1:00 left in the first. Cooper nearly scored on Woodall, but the Nittany Lion senior countered and almost scored himself before a stalemate was called. A number of good scoring chances in the last :30 still resulted in no points and Woodall led 2-1 after one. Cooper chose down to begin the second and quickly tied the bout with an escape. As time wound down, however, Woodall notched an impressive four point throw (two for the take down and two near fall points) and led 6-2 with the final period looming. Woodall chose down and quickly escaped to a 7-2 lead as the third period got underway. Woodall dominated the third period, although he did not score anymore, posted the 7-2 win. The victory clinched the dual for Penn State, putting the Lions up 24-5. Woodall improved to 7-5 on the year while Cooper fell to 11-9.
In a battle between ranked grapplers at 157, Nittany Lion junior Nathan Galloway (State College, Pa.) put his No. 13 ranking on the line against IU sophomore Brandon Becker, ranked No. 8. Each wrestler spent the first period looking for an opening and an offensive chance, but neither could manage any real threats and the period ended scoreless. Becker chose down to begin the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Tying up in the center of mat, the battle continued well into the second period with neither wrestler scoring. Galloway was hit with his first stall warning a minute into the second but with :20 left, Galloway got in and nearly scored as the period closed down but could not finish as time ran out. Trailing 1-0 with two minutes to wrestle, Galloway chose down to begin the third. Becker continued to hold Galloway down, holding on from the left side and working towards a riding time edge. Becker got hit with his first stall warning, but Becker got his 1:00 riding time edge. Still down after a reset, Galloway escaped with :22 second left, tying the match at 1-1 but knowing that he'd give up the riding time point. Galloway nearly scored on two late bout shots, but could not finish as Becker fought off both shots. The 1:28 riding time gave Becker a 2-1 win and cut the Penn State lead to 24-8. Galloway fell to 10-11 on the year while Becker improved to 17-6.
In the night's final dual, Penn State true freshman David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio), ranked No. 12, met Indiana sophomore Max Dean at 165. Erwin set the tone offensively, maintaining the dual's trend of Penn State as aggressor. He notched the first take down for a 2-1 lead with :34 left in the first period and carried that lead into the second period. Dean chose down to begin the second period and notched a reversal to go up 3-2. While trying to maintain his top position, Dean got hit with a locked hands call that tied the score at 3-3. Erwin could not escape, however, and the period ended tied 3-3. Erwin chose down to begin the final period, looking to get the lead back. The Nittany Lion freshman finally got the 4-3 lead after a late escape, but Dean held a 1:03 riding time advantage with under a minute to wrestle. Neither wrestler scored over the remainder of the period, sending the match to overtime tied 4-4 (after Dean got the riding time point). The first sudden victory period began neutral but :18 second in, Erwin turned it on and scored in decisive fashion to post an important 6-4 sudden victory win. The three points gave Penn State an impressive 27-8 win and pushed Erwin's record to 21-6. Dean fell to 21-10.
"I was pleased with the effort the kids gave. We really dominated the attack on our feat with a lot of shots and a lot of offense," Sunderland said. "To Indiana's credit, they didn't fold, but our guys rose above that and continued to push the offense. It was a total team effort, top to bottom. I give the guys a lot of credit for a good week of practice after the disappointment of last weekend and for coming out here tonight and really being aggressive."
Penn State improved to 11-4 with the victory, 3-3 in Big Ten action. Indiana, on the other hand, fell to 11-4, 2-4. Penn State is now 6-1 on the road and improved to 8-4 vs. teams ranked in the top 25. The Lions have five road wins vs. ranked opponents.
The Nittany Lions will close out the regular season next weekend with duals at Ohio State and Purdue. The Lions will tangle with the Buckeyes on Friday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. and then face Purdue on Sunday at noon in Indianapolis' Conseco Fieldhouse.
#8 Penn State 27, #16 Indiana 8
Bloomington, Ind., University Gymnasium
174: Phil Bomberger PSU dec. Marc Bennett IU, 6-3 3-0
184: #4 Eric Bradley PSU maj. dec. Justin Curran IU, 12-4 7-0
197: #6 Phil Davis PSU dec. #8 Brady Richardson IU, 6-0 10-0
HWT: #18 Joel Edwards PSU dec. Dave Herman IU, 4-2 13-0
125: #1 Joe Dubuque IU tech. fall Tim Haas, PSU, 19-3 (7:00) 13-5
133: #9 Jake Strayer PSU dec. #18 Andrae Hernandez IU, 2-1 16-5
141: #10 DeWitt Driscoll PSU tech. fall Scott Kelley IU, 17-2 (7:00) 21-5
149: #14 James Woodall PSU dec. Matt Cooper IU, 7-2 24-5
157: #8 Brandon Becker IU dec. #13 Nathan Galloway PSU, 2-1 24-8
165: #12 David Erwin PSU dec. Max Dean IU, 6-4 SV 27-8
Records: Penn State 11-4, 3-3 Big Ten; Indiana 11-4, 2-4 Big Ten
Up Next for PSU: At Ohio State, Friday, Feb. 17, 7 p.m.
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