Penn State wrestling freshman sensation PJ Duke fell one match short of a national title bout, and his loss didn’t come without controversy, which coach Cael Sanderson weighed in on afterward.
Agaisnt No. 5 Landon Robindeau (Oklahoma State), Duke, the top seed at 157 pounds, was initially awarded a takedown in sudden victory.
Many felt that Duke had gotten a takedown but Oklahoma State coach and Penn State legend David Taylor challenged the call.
The call was reversed and the match went on, with no sudden victory points leading to two tiebreaker periods.
In the first tiebreaker, Robindeau got a reversal to go ahead 3-1. Duke took neutral for the second period, but couldn’t score in the next 30 seconds, and Robindeau is now going to the national title bout to take on Nebraska’s Antrell Taylor, seeded second.
Had the official not initially seen the takedown, there’s a chance Duke would have won the match with a pin, as he was working on a cradle.
Penn State coach Cael Sanderson had this to say on the matter.
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“There’s not much you can do, right?” Sanderson told reporters. “I mean, (the replay officials) are looking at it in the back. Obviously a blown call, and that happens in life. It’s unfortunate. Feel bad for PJ. Not to take anything away from his opponent. Great opponent, which is what happens in sports sometimes. Very unfortunate. Frustrating.”
THE GOOD NEWS
There is some good news for Duke individually and Penn State collectively.
For Duke, he has a chance to claim third place in Saturday’s wrestlebacks.
For Penn State, the team is in position to clinch its 13th team title in 15 years, leading Oklahoma State by 41.5 points.
Six of Penn State’s 10 starters are in NCAA Championship matches Saturday night. NSN’s Kyle Golik is in Cleveland for all the action.
