I'm back! I've had a long layoff! It started out fun, being on vacation for a couple of weeks, but ended sadly with a tragedy of an old friend....
That said, I've got my act together and will be updating regularly again!
I figured I'd start off with the Wrestling Team since they have a dual on Friday night!
Let's recap with what's been happening the past couple of months:
- Midlands - Choked away 1st. Crosscyed posted about it already. 'Nuff said....
- National Duals - We destroyed Indiana 35-0, won close against Boise State 19-15, lost to Cornell (who is now ranked #2) 15-22, and won close against Nebraska 20-19
- Dual @ Oregon State - We beat them 29-6
So how do I feel about this? Well, I am dissapointed with how we handled the pressure at Midlands. The guys acted like they've never been there and had a good opportunity to show improvement as a tournament team.
National Duals would've been painful to watch. Cornell just flat out beat us. We had to make a comeback against Boise State, and almost gave away the dual to Nebraska.
These results wouldn't be bad for most schools, but for a team hoping to win a NCAA Championship, you gotta take care of the other schools. Boise State and Nebraska are respectable, but you MUST take care of business.
I was glad to see us come out strong against Oregon State. They aren't good though either. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will be better tests to see where this team is at...
With that said, I'd like to preview the Oklahoma dual:
#3 ISU (9-2) vs. #11 Oklahoma, (14-0) Friday, 1/23, 7:00pm, at Hilton... Be there!
This is a BIG match. Oklahoma is undefeated and going to have a TON of confidence coming into Ames. We will find out how good they really are!
- 125: #6 Tyler Clark vs. #10 Joey Fio
- 133: #7 Nick Fanthorpe vs. Brian Shelton
- 141: #2 Nick Gallick vs. Seth Vernon
- 149: #18 Mitch Mueller vs. #13 Kyle Terry
- 157: #7 Cyler Sanderson vs. #16 Shane Vernon
- 165: #6 Jon Reader vs. Ryan Smith
- 174: #8 Duke Burk vs. #9 Jeff James
- 184: #20 Jerome Ward vs. #19 Pat Flynn
- 197: #1 Jake Varner vs. #11 Eric Lapotsky
- HWT: #3 David Zabriskie vs. #19 Nathan Fernandez
All of our guys are ranked, but a lot of theirs are as well.. On paper, we're obviously the better team, but you never know with these things. The good news is that our strength weights have a big advantage on Oklahoma (HWT, 197, 165,141, 133). I would love nothing more than to send Oklahoma back to Norman with their first loss!
If you go, you will have a lot of fun, and it should be loud (at least for wrestling)!
Prediction: ISU 22, Oklahoma 12
After we beat OU, we gotta get ready for Sunday's dual against #13 Okie State!
#3 ISU (9-2 (hopefully 10-2 by then)) vs. #13 Oklahoma State (11-4), Sunday 1/25, 1pm, IPTV
Oklahoma State used to be a big deal. They are still a quality program, but not where they used to be. That said, they will be coming off a tough loss to Iowa (13-20) and I think they'll be ready to go against us.
Let's see how the matchups are looking against Okie State:
- 125: #6 Tyler Clark vs. #16 Obe Blanc
- 133: #7 Nick Fanthorpe vs. #15 Chris Notte
- 141: #2 Nick Gallick vs. #17 Jamal Parks
- 149: #18 Mitch Mueller vs. Luke Silver
- 157: #7 Cyler Sanderson vs. #11 Neil Erisman
- 165: #6 Jon Reader vs. #11 Brandon Mason
- 174: #8 Duke Burk vs. Newly McSpadden
- 184: #20 Jerome Ward vs. Cody Hill
- 197: #1 Jake Varner vs. #9 Clayton Foster
- HWT: #3 David Zabriskie vs. #1 Jared Rosholt
This dual intrigues me more than the other one in some ways. Okie State looks weaker than Oklahoma but they have better guys at our better weights. Zabriskie and Varner will have tougher matches than on Friday, as does Reader and Cyler.
I still think we pull off a win, but it should be another REAL fun match! If you aren't able to go but live in Iowa, it will be broadcast on IPTV!
Prediction: ISU 22, OSU 9... OSU will have to come up big in their lower weights and at 197 in order to beat us
Final thought: It's been so long since I've seen the team (vs Iowa). I don't know how they are looking, so I stayed away from trying to preview specific matches. Once I get back and start watching again, I will try to do a better job of that.
I really hope you have a chance to check the wrestlers out. We're a good team, and we've got some solid opponents coming to town!
See you then!