Huskers Rally to Down OU, 18-15

Feb. 8, 2009

Nebraska 18, Oklahoma 15 | Photo Gallery

QUICK STATS
No. 14 Oklahoma	Statistic	No. 4 Nebraska
0	Pins	0
14	Takedowns	11
17	Escapes	15
4	Near falls	1
15	Final	18

Sooner Wrestling Central

Wrestling Main Page | Ticket Information | Field House

2008-09 Oklahoma Wrestling Guide | 2008-09 Match Notes

Oklahoma Season Statistics | Big 12 Conference

NORMAN, Okla. --The 14th-ranked University of Oklahoma wrestling squad led 15-3 after five bouts, but fourth-ranked Nebraska (15-2-1, 3-0) rallied to win the final five to edge OU, 18-15, at the Howard McCasland Field House in Norman Sunday afternoon.

It marked OU's (15-3, 1-3) second loss to a top five Big 12 opponent this weekend, as No. 5 Missouri handed Oklahoma an 18-12 defeat Friday night.

“The bottom line is, we were a hair away for the second straight match from beating a great team,” head coach Jack Spates said. “But we can't be satisfied, we need to break through and win them.”

The afternoon's match began at heavyweight, as Nathan Fernandez, ranked 16th, scored the bout's first point over NU's Tucker Lane (No. 19) with an escape to begin the second period and took that lead into the third. After a Lane escape, the two were tied at one until the Husker scored a takedown with 35 seconds remaining in the match to take the win, 3-1.

Seventh-ranked Sooner Joey Fio quickly put Oklahoma on the board at 125 pounds, using an eight point third period that included two takedowns and a three-point nearfall to record a dominating 16-5 major decision over Andy Pokorny to give OU its first lead, 4-3.

Junior Brian Shelton kept the ball rolling for OU by posting an 8-1 win at 133 pounds, scoring two takedowns and a nearfall over Matt Vacanti. The El Reno, Okla., native improved to a perfect 3-0 in Big 12 matchups this season and now owns a 13-4 overall record.

Seth Vernon scored an important 6-3 decision win at 141 pounds over Patrick Aleksanyan, extending OU's lead to 10-3. It marked Vernon's first career Big 12 victory and improved to 14-7 on the year.

No. 8 Kyle Terry at 149 pounds shot quickly out of the gate, posting a 9-2 lead after the first period over Curtis Salazar. The Midwest City, Okla., native recorded seven takedowns and two nearfalls on his way to a 21-6 technical fall, marking his 21st straight victory this season and a team-best 23-1 record.

The win at 149 pounds would be the Sooners' last. Nebraska shook off the rough start to rally, winning the match's final five bouts.

No. 3 Jordan Burroughs was the first Husker to collect a win during the rally, defeating 157-pound Chad Terry by a 9-4 decision. Stephen Dwyer, ranked sixth at 165 pounds, then blanked Ryan Smith 4-0 to inch Nebraska to within six, 15-9.

Seventh-ranked Sooner Jeff James next fell at 174 pounds to No. 3 Brandon Browne by an 8-3 decision. NU's Vince Jones, ranked 11th, then posted a win over Pat Flynn at 184 pounds by a 3-0 final.

With the scored tied at 15, No. 11 Eric Lapotsky would need a victory over No. 2 Craig Brester to give Oklahoma the win. Lapotsky trailed 3-1 headed into the third, but it was Brester who would score the period's only points to win, 5-2.

“We wrestled hard, but it wasn't enough,” Spates said. “It wasn't for a lack of effort today, and we will get back to the room and continue to improve.”

The loss against the Huskers marked the final home match for the Sooners this season. The team honored two seniors, Will Rowe and David Armstong, during senior night festivities before the match.

Oklahoma will return to action on the road next Sunday, Feb. 15, when it travels to East Lansing, Mich., to take on Michigan State at 1 p.m. CST.

MATCH-BY-MATCH RESULTS

125: No. 7 Joey Fio (OU) maj. dec. Andy Pokorny (NU), 16-5
133: Brian Shelton (OU) dec. Matt Vacanti (NU), 8-1
141: Seth Vernon (OU) dec. Patrick Aleksanyan (NU), 6-3
149: No. 8 Kyle Terry (OU) tech. fall Curtis Salazar (NU), 21-6
157: No. 3 Jordan Burroughs (NU) dec. Chad Terry (OU), 9-4
165: No. 6 Stephen Dwyer (NU) dec. Ryan Smith (OU), 4-0
174: No. 3 Brandon Browne (NU) dec. No. 7 Jeff James (OU), 8-3
184: No. 11 Vince Jones (NU) dec. No. 19 Pat Flynn (OU), 3-0
197: No. 2 Craig Brester (NU) dec. No. 11 Eric Lapotsky (OU), 5-2
HWT: No. 19 Tucker Lane (NU) dec. No. 16 Nathan Fernandez (OU), 3-1

Next Event

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics