Oklahoma State defeated Nebraska 27-6 in Stillwater on Friday night. Here are five thoughts on the dual.
1. What do you do against Jax Forrest?
Forrest was wrestling one of the top guys in the country. Jacob Van Dee is an elite in any wrestling room. And there’s very little he could do against Jax. He got in deep on several shots and there was just no opportunity to finish. I watch, analyze, and take in a lot of wrestling. But as I watch something like that, I really have no idea what a wrestler could do to beat a guy like Jax Forrest.
2. Can Rocklin Zinkin challenge for the 125 LB spot?
Troy Spratley is injured and out for now. But Zinkin had a huge win over NCAA Champion Vincent Robinson. I don’t know what happens in the room with these two, but I think there’s certainly some intrigue over what that result is and who will be the starter this season.
3. Hats off to Nebraska
Win/Lose/whatever, these are the types of duals that help grow interest in wrestling. They create these incredible environments/crowds that you just don’t get against lower ranked teams. This series with OSU and Nebraska is great for the sport.
4. Starting Lorenzo Norman was a bit of a surprise
At the Cowboy Invitational Tournament, Alex Facundo beat Lorenzo Norman at 174. Norman got the start and only loss for OSU here. As I write this, we haven’t had the post-match interviews with Taylor to discuss it, but I’d be interested to know what led to the decision. Does Norman win in the room? Does the staff see more upside with him? Is Facundo banged up? Would be interesting to know.
5. What’s going to happen at HWT?
Dreshaun Ross has started the first two duals for OSU and won the Cowboy Invitational to open the season. But Konner Doucet was ranked #1 in the country in several preseason rankings. Ross lost on Friday to 14th ranked Cade Ziola. Doucet beat Ziola last season. There’s clearly a ton of upside with Ross and potential to be a superstar. But OSU may want to go with the experienced veteran as the season progresses. Similar to 125, who knows what happens in the room here? But there’s certainly some intrigue about who will be the starter as the rest of the season goes.
