Sooners Host Cowboys For Bedlam Sunday

No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Oklahoma State
Date	Sunday, Feb. 20 at 2 p.m.
Location	Norman, Okla. \| Howard McCasland Field House
Tickets	Bedlam Ticket Info
Match Info	Live Stats \| Notes \| OU Roster \| 2010-11 Schedule and Results
T.V.	SoonerSportsNetwork (Cox Channel 3 in OKC and Tulsa)
Online	Live Webcast in Oklahoma All-Access
Promotions	• Crimson Out - First 1,000 Fans Receive a Free OU T-Shirt • Jack Spates' Final Dual • Senior Day

NORMAN, Okla. -- Bedlam wrestling returns to Norman this Sunday, Feb. 20, when the eighth-ranked University of Oklahoma (13-1, 3-1) team makes its final regular season appearance at home against the third-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys (14-2-1, 5-1-0) inside McCasland Field House at 2 p.m. Bedlam will mark Jack Spates' final contest as head coach of the Sooners after leading OU for the past 18 seasons.

"Bedlam is Bedlam," Spates said. "You don't have to do a whole lot of talking about it. This is an innate and intense rivalry. They want to crush us and we want to crush them. I think it is going to be a great meet as usual. We have tons of ranked wrestlers and some tremendous matchups. We've trained well and we're excited."

The top 10 showdown is the second of the season between the two squads, with the first contest in Stillwater on Dec. 12 going in favor of the Cowboys, 22-12. Oklahoma will attempt to finish the year with only one-loss for the first time since 1969 and earn its fourth win in Big 12 action for the first time since 1981.

The Sooners are 2-4-1 against the Cowboys in the past seven meetings, with all four losses coming on the road. Spates hopes to close out his coaching career with a win over his in-state rival.

"Added to the excitement is the fact that this will be my last dual meet of my coaching career."

Spates leaves OU with a host of coaching accolades including three Big 12 Coach of the Year awards and the 2006 National Coach of the Year. During his tenure at OU, Spates has coached two Big 12 conference team titles, 53 All-Americans and six national champions. He has also led 30 Oklahoma wrestlers to individual Big 12 titles.

Additionally, Sunday's match marks the last at home for seniors Zach Bailey, Jeff James, Greg Cannon and Nathan Fernandez. The four, who have combined for 275 career wins at Oklahoma, will be honored prior to the dual.

The match will air to the state of Oklahoma on Cox Television with Toby Rowland calling and Kenny Mossman adding commentary (Cox channel 7 in OKC and Tulsa).

Doors open at 12 p.m. and tickets are still available for purchase. Prices are $15 for reserved seating, $10 for general admission and $5 for pre-arranged group tickets. Fans can purchase online or call the OU Ticket Office at (405) 325-2424 or toll-free (800) 456-GoOU.

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 12th among heavyweights. Chase Nelson (157) is No. 12, while Erich Schmidtke is 14th at 184 pounds. Matt Lester jumped four spots to No. 15 among 149 pounders.

Oklahoma State counters with nine ranked, including six in Intermat's Top-10. Jordan Oliver leads all Cowboys ranked No. 1 at 133 pounds. Clayton Foster (197) is ranked third-nationally. Jamal Parks (149) sits at No. 5, while Jon Morrison (125) checks in at No. 8. Chris Perry (184) and Dallas Bailey (165) round-out Cowboys ranked in the top 10 at No. 9 among and 10, respectively.

Ranked No. 12 is 174-pounder Mike Benefiel, followed by two OSU wrestlers ranked No. 16 in Josh Kindig (141) and Neil Erisman (157).

Sooner Participants (Weight)	Hometown (Year)	Record
Jarrod Patterson (125)	Cushing, Okla. (So.)	24-5
Jordan Keller (133)	Wichita, Kan. (Jr.)	16-7
Zack Bailey (141)	Kansas City, Mo. (Sr.)	22-2
Matt Lester (149)	Eureka, Mo. (RFr.)	15-5
Chase Nelson (157)	Wichita, Kan. (So.)	19-7
Tyler Caldwell (165)	Wichita, Kan. (So.)	27-4
Jeff James (174)	El Reno, Okla. (RSr.)	5-5
Ben Bridell (174)	Birmingham, Ala. (RSo.)	4-5
Erich Schmidtke (184)	Aberdeen, Wash. (RSo.)	22-9
Keldrick Hall (197)	Dallas, Texas (RSo.)	13-12
Nathan Fernandez (HWT)	Lawton, Okla. (Sr.)	18-4

SOONER WRESTLING NOTES

Last Action
The eighth-ranked Sooners stormed back from a seven point deficit to defeat No. 14 Wyoming, 22-10, before legendary OU wrestling coach Stan Abel and a number of former Sooner greats at the McCasland Field House.

Sooner to Watch
	Jarrod Patterson \| So. \| 125 pounds \| No. 7 Patterson, the 2010 Big 12 Champion, takes on OSU's Jon Morrison, ranked No. 8 in the country for the second time this season. In the first Bedlam battle Patterson had an escape and added 1:04 of riding time to earn a 2-1 victory by decision over Morrison. Morrison's only point was awarded by violation.

Scouting Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State has key wins over then-No. 3 Minnesota (17-16), No. 24 Arizona State (40-4) and No. 8 Boise State (28-6). OSU is 5-0 on the road and has losses against Virginia Tech (18-16) and Missouri (21-19). The Cowboys lone tie came against then-No. 10 Iowa, 10-10.

OU Versus OSU All-Time
Overall: 26-127-10
In Norman: 14-54-8
In Stillwater: 12-70-2
At Neutral: 0-3-0
Last Meeting (Dec. 12, 2010): OSU 22, OU 12
Jack Spates vs. Oklahoma State: 3-32-3
John Smith vs. Oklahoma: 36-5-3

Senior Farewell
Zack Bailey, Jeff James and Nathan Fernandez will wrestler in their final bouts as Sooners. Greg Cannon will also be recognized for his contributions as a member of the squad. Bailey, a Kansas City native, enters Sunday's matchup as OU's leader in nearly every statistical category including dual points scored (56-0), winning percentage (.917), career-wins (101), takedowns (61), victories by major decision (7) and technical falls (4).

Nathan Fernandez (18-4, 9-3) is tied for tops on the team with four in-dual pins, is second in career-wins (79) and his four losses have all come by decision. Jeff James returned to the Sooner lineup following the winter break where he has since gone 2-4 at 174 pounds. James is third in career-wins (75) and went to the NCAA Championships in back-to-back years (09-10).

Cannon has been a key reserve for Oklahoma at 125 pounds. Over his career Cannon has posted a record of 24-19.

Streaking Sooners
Zach Bailey is on a ten-match winning-streak that dates back to the Cliff Keen Invitational on Dec. 4, 2010 where both of Bailey's losses were acquired. Bailey is a perfect 14-0 in dual competition. Matt Lester has won six-straight since dropping to 149 pounds. Chase Nelson is riding a four-match winning streak and is undefeated in Big 12 action during that span.

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. The former three-time All-American, two-time NCAA 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 along with redshirt freshman Matt Lester dropped weight classes and will compete at 165, 157 and 149 pounds, respectively. Caldwell, 165 pound reigning All-American, has collected a 13-2 record since the drop. Nelson, a JUCO All-American, boasts a 10-2 at 157 pounds. Lester is 6-1 at 149 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.

Up Next...
The Sooners return to Ames, Iowa, to battle for the Big 12 title at the 2011 Big 12 Championships. Last year the Sooners finished in third place with 64 total points and claimed three individual conference titles. Oklahoma State won the title with 70.5 points, while Iowa State placed second with 69 points.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooners Host Cowboys For Bedlam Sunday

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