Here are five takeaways from Monday’s Bryce Jordan Center wrestling dual meet with Penn State and Rutgers.
BARRACLOUGH, COCHRAN SHINE
Not only did Terrell Barraclough and Lucas Cochran get huge upset wins, but they did it while competing up a weight class. Barraclough is normally a 165-pounder. Cochran is a 197-pounder. This is just a reminder that Penn State’s backups could probably compete in their own schedule, and still have a good team.
PENN STATE WRESTLING: MONDAY NIGHT WRESTLING FELT FORCED
The BJC dual has become the meet that many fans most look forward to every season. Monday never really quite felt like a BJC dual night. The Lions still drew a decent crowd of 12,049, but the usual attendance number for the BJC dual meet is a couple thousand more fans. Maybe it was the opponent, but it’s probably more along the lines that Monday isn’t ideal.
PENN STATE WRESTLING: THE REPLAY DEBACLE
It’s still unclear as to why replay wasn’t available in the Bryce Jordan Center Monday. The fact that they didn’t have it was a bad look for Penn State. Instant replay is available in sports universally now. The fact that it wasn’t available Monday, in an arena that’s much newer than Rec Hall, is mind-boggling.
NAGAO FALLS
Aaron Nagao dropped his fourth match of the season in a 9-6 sudden victory loss to Rutgers’ Dylan Shawver. Nagao only had three losses going into the Big Ten tournament last season while at Minnesota, and he wrestled more matches. It could be nothing. It could be something.
IS THIS PSU’S DEEPEST TEAM?
Cael Sanderson was asked after the match if this was Penn State’s deepest team ever. He didn’t have an answer for the question, but it just might be. Shayne Van Ness was lost early in the season at 149 but Tyler Kasak hasn’t skipped a beat. If anyone needs a night off, Penn State wrestling probably has a more than capable backup behind the starter. If this isn’t PSU’s deepest team ever, I’d like to see which team was.
