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Penn State Wrestling: What Happened in Braeden Davis’ Loss? Cael Sanderson Explains

Will Penn State wrestling starter Braeden Davis bounce back?
Photo by Penn State Wrestling: Braeden Davis

Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson evaluated Braeden Davis’ loss Friday night against Nebraska.

As usual, PSU dominated in Lincoln, handling the No. 6 team in the country like it was a sack of potatoes.

Penn State Wrestling Spoils Historic Night at Nebraska

Penn State won 31-7, losing only two of the 10 matches on the night.

One of those two losses came in No. 5 Braeden Davis’ match against No. 16 Jacob Van Dee. Van Dee almost pinned Davis a minute in and went up 7-0, a hole Davis could never dig out of. Davis fought back, making it 7-4 but by the end of the first period, Van Dee was up 9-4. Davis fought again in the second period to make it 9-6, but that’s as close as he got.

But Sanderson isn’t worried.

WHAT CAEL SAID

Penn State Wrestling

Photo by Penn State Wrestling: Cael Sanderson

“He got caught in a Jonsey, which is, you know, it’s a strong move and it happens a lot.”

What’s a “Jonsey?”

A “Jonsey,” also known as a “shin whizzer tilt,” is a move that happens when a wrestler is trying to finish a single-leg takedown.

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Davis was trying to finish a single leg in the first minute of the match, which led to Van Dee’s near fall.

“You have a lot of time,” Sanderson said, “and with three-point takedowns, you can claw your way back. You just have to be steady. But I think it was fine.”

So what does Sanderson want Davis to get out of this experience?

“I think the takeaway for him was just that you’re down seven points but there’s still plenty of time to come back and win that match. But it’s just all experience, and as they say, experience can be expensive and painful. But, yeah, I think everyone’s fine overall. We’re looking forward to obviously Rutgers on Friday and we have the rest of the Big Ten coming up. So (we have) a lot to look forward to.”

ONTO SHAWVER

Davis has another tough opponent Friday night in Piscataway, New Jersey. Rutgers’ Dylan Shawver is 14-3 and ranked No. 9 by Intermat.

No. 1 Penn State takes on No. 14 Rutgers Friday night. The dual meet is scheduled to begin at 8 on the Big Ten Network.

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