UNIVERSITY PARKโ Thereโs no question what the signature moment of the Penn State wrestling-Iowa dual meet Friday night was, and Tyler Kasak made it happen.
Itโs not often that a wrestler is able to lift their opponent in the air long enough to flex for the home crowd, let alone when said opponent is ranked No. 1 in the country.
You wonโt see many better endings than this. Tyler Kasak lifts Jacori Temmer into the air and fires up the crowd at the same time,
Penn State leads 18-5 going into the break. pic.twitter.com/74TDGsbLbL
— Joe Smeltzer (@joesmeltzer775) February 1, 2025
That moment, which sealed No. 3 Kasakโs 5-2 win over Iowaโs Jacori Temmer, would have been epic enough if Kasak had not been bleeding.
But blood always adds to the intensity of any sporting event, and when Temmer inadvertently cut Kasakโs right eye, the bout became all the more compelling. The ending turned into the signature moment not just of Friday nightโs dual but of Kasakโs time at Penn State.
You wonโt see many better endings than this. Tyler Kasak lifts Jacori Temmer into the air and fires up the crowd at the same time,
Penn State leads 18-5 going into the break. pic.twitter.com/74TDGsbLbL
— Joe Smeltzer (@joesmeltzer775) February 1, 2025
THE BLOOD
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Tyler Kasak
When talking with reporters after the meet, Kasak didnโt seem as fascinated by the blood as a lot of the Penn State wrestling fans were.
โBlood time, thatโs just what happens in wrestling,โ Kasak said. โThings happen.โ
โI mean, itโs all wrestling at the end of the day. You kind of take the emotions out of it. Especially when you have, I donโt know how many people were there, so adrenaline kind of gets pumping. I didnโt even know how bad, what it really looked like. There probably was a little bit of blood.โ
What Kasak said next channels The Undertaker.
โSo itโs (blood is) just part of the sport and I kind of like it. Itโs fun. It makes you feel alive a little bit.โ
Kasak competing through the blood impressed his coach.
โThatโs not his eyebrow,โ Cael Sanderson said, โa lot of those are stitches. Yeah, it was pretty bad. Tough dude.โ
THE CELEBRATION
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Tyler Kasak
When Will Ferrellโs character in old school, Frank โThe Tankโ Ricard beat James โThe Rajin Cajunโ Carville in a debate.
After he won, his first words were โwhat happened? I blacked out.โ
Kasak had similar vibes after his moment.
โAs far as the celebration I kind of just blacked out,” Kasak said. “I have no idea what I really did, just enjoying the moment.”
“Everyone was pumped up. The bigger the matches the more fun we end up having, the more free I feel like I get.”
Overall, Kasak made his teammate Levi Hainesโ who preceded him at 157 and now wrestlers at 174โ proud.
โHe didnโt really tell me anything,โ Kasak said. โJust told me to go smash him. And I did a pretty good job of that.”
