Sooners Take Aim at Cornhuskers in Norman

No. 7 Oklahoma vs. No. 16 Nebraska
Date	Friday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m.
Location	Norman, Okla. \| Howard McCasland Field House
Tickets	Free to the Public
Match Info	Live Stats \| Notes \| OU Roster \| 2010-11 Schedule and Results
Online	Live Webcast in Oklahoma All-Access
Promotions	• Enter to win a Bob Stoops autographed 2010 Big 12 Championship hat! • Fans can take a photo with the Big 12 Championship Trophy from 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. • WWE Wrestling Look-A-Like Contest - 1st Prize: $20 Smoothie King Gift Card - 2nd Prize: Taco Mayo Free Burrito & 32oz. Soft Drink - 3rd Prize: $5.00 Wing Stop coupon • Double Sooner Nation Points • First 250 fans receive a free OU wrestling cup with free drink and popcorn.

NORMAN, Okla. -- The seventh-ranked Oklahoma wrestling team (10-1, 1-1) hosts No. 16 Nebraska (10-3, 0-0) at the Howard McCasland Field House on Friday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m.

“This is a Big 12 competition, which is always very important,” Jack Spates said. “Nebraska is a program that has been one of the best in the country. It's going to be a war and we are real eager for it. Our guys are wrestling well and we are looking for that to continue on Friday.”

Last season OU ended a three-match skid to the Cornhuskers after storming back from 15-0 deficit to take the dual, 22-15, in Lincoln. The Sooners lead the all-time series by a 36-16-1 margin.

Three Sooners on the current roster recorded wins a year ago against Nebraska (Jarrod Patterson, Zack Bailey and Tyler Caldwell).

Last time out Oklahoma ended an eight-match losing streak to No. 15 Iowa State after defeating the Iowa State Cyclones 33-7 at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. In that dual OU snapped a skid that dated back to 2003 and earned its first win in Big 12 action.

RANKINGS RUNDOWN

Seven Sooners are ranked in this week's InterMat individual ranking, led by second-ranked Tyler Caldwell at 165 pounds. Senior Zack Bailey (141 pounds) sits at No. 6 and Jarrod Patterson is ranked No. 7 at 125 pounds. Nathan Fernandez stands 10th among heavyweights.

Chase Nelson (157) remained at No. 11, while Erich Schmidtke is 17th at 184 pounds. Jordan Keller (133) remains at No. 19 for the third-straight week.

Nebraska counters with three ranked wrestlers. Leading the way for the Corhuskers is Jordan Burroughs, ranked No. 1 among 165 pounders.

Tucker Lane (HWT) and Josh Ihnen (184) are ranked No. 12 and No. 13, respectively.

Sooner Participants (Weight)	Hometown (Year)	Record
Jarrod Patterson (125)	Cushing, Okla. (So.)	22-4
Jordan Keller (133)	Wichita, Kan. (Jr.)	14-6
Zack Bailey (141)	Kansas City, Mo. (Sr.)	19-2
Matt Lester (149)	Eureka, Mo. (RFr.)	12-5
Chase Nelson (157)	Wichita, Kan. (So.)	16-7
Tyler Caldwell (165)	Wichita, Kan. (So.)	25-3
Jeff James (174)	El Reno, Okla. (RSr.)	4-3
Ben Bridell (174)	Birmingham, Ala. (RSo.)	4-5
Erich Schmidtke (184)	Aberdeen, Wash. (RSo.)	21-7
Keldrick Hall (197)	Dallas, Texas (RSo.)	13-9
Nathan Fernandez (HWT)	Lawton, Okla. (Sr.)	17-2

SOONER WRESTLING NOTES

LAST ACTION
Oklahoma ended an eight-match losing streak to No. 15 Iowa State after defeating the Iowa State Cyclones 33-7 at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. In that dual OU snapped a skid that dated back to 2003 and earned its first win in Big 12 action.

Sooner to Watch
	Tyler Caldwell \| So. \| 165 pounds Caldwell was named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week and looks to upset NU's Jordan Burroughs, ranked No. 1 in the country. The Wichita, Kan., product is currently ranked No. 2 in the country by Intermat and is an impressive 10-0 in dual action and sits at 25-3 overall.

Scouting Nebraska
The Cornhuskers are 10-3 in dual competition so far this year, with victories over Ohio State (24-11) and Oregon State (17-16). Nebraska finished ninth at the Midlands Championships.

Back-To-Back Big 12 Honors
Nathan Fernandez (HWT) and Tyler Caldwell (165 pounds) were each awarded Big 12 Wrestler of the Week honors (Jan. 18, 24) after defeating American's then-No. 3 Ryan Flores (4-2) and Iowa State's 10th-ranked Andrew Sorneson (9-1), respectively.

SPATES TO RETIRE AT END OF SEASON
Oklahoma Head Wrestling Coach Jack Spates, who is in his 18th season with the Sooners, announced Wednesday, Jan. 5 that he plans to retire from the position at the end of the current season.

"This is something that I had planned for quite a while," Spates said.

"I've been blessed by my tenure at OU. I've worked with the greatest kids, athletic director and president. I will leave with a smile on my face. It's a young man's game and a sport that requires tremendous passion and energy and I feel God is leading me in another direction at this time."

That direction may involve ministerial work. Spates received a master's degree in theology and education from Baptist Bible Seminary in 1980.

Sammie Henson Tabbed Top Assistant
Tim Foley of InterMatWrestling tabbed Oklahoma assistant coach Sammie Henson as the top assistant in the country. Henson, a former two-time National Champion and Olympic medalist, joined the staff last year (2009) and helped lead the Sooners to a top-five finish at the 2010 NCAA Championships.

DROPPING WEIGHT
Sophomores Tyler Caldwell and Chase Nelson have dropped weight classes and will compete at 165 and 157 pounds, respectively. In addition, senior Jeff James and freshman Matt Lester also dropped to 174 and 149, respectively. Caldwell, reigning All-American at 165 pounds, has been impressive collecting a 14-2 record after moving up to 174 pounds.

NELSON EARNS MIDLANDS TITLE
After dropping to 157 pounds, Chase Nelson won five-straight bouts to earn the 157 pound title at the Midlands Championships.

Pre-Match Clinic Before Missouri Dual
The Oklahoma wrestling program will host a wrestling clinic on Saturday, Feb. 5 from 12:30-1:30 at the McCasland Field House prior to the Missouri dual. Participants will get coached by the best coaches and wrestlers in the nation. Attendees will be given pizza following the clinic.

To register for the event click here.

UP NEXT...
The Sooners host their second of four-straight home duals against No. 7 Missouri on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 3 p.m at the McCasland Field House.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooners Take Aim at Cornhuskers in Norman

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