Takeaways: Penn State wrestling routs Rutgers in BJC for 1,000th all-time win

Penn State wrestling made quick work of No. 14 Rutgers in a 35-3 win at the Bryce Jordan Center on Monday night. The Nittany Lions improve to 10-0 (7-0 Big Ten) on the season, will take at least a share of the Big Ten Dual Championship, and earned the program’s 1,000th all-time dual win in the process. What did we learn from Penn State’s historic win over Rutgers?

Braeden Davis: Better to be lucky than good

No. 2 Braeden Davis once again found himself in a tight, low-scoring battle late in the third period with No. 19 Dean Peterson. The score was tied 1-1, and Peterson looked to possibly score as the clock was running down. But the points were never awarded, and that is when the weird stuff started to happen.

Rutgers threw its challenge brick to review the final few seconds of the bout. However, the referee bluntly said that they didn’t have the video for review. There was no explanation as to why they didn’t, but rather just that review was going to be available. Not too shocking when you consider all of the issues that the Bryce Jordan Center has during basketball games in this area.

Davis went on to score a takedown in sudden victory to pull off the 4-1 win. It is the second controversial call in as many weeks that went the true freshman’s way. Against Ohio State, Davis escaped with a one-point win even though most people thought he gave up a late takedown.

There is a legitimate possibility that Braeden Davis could have lost three consecutive matches had he not gotten a few calls in his favor. As the saying goes, sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. For Davis, that means taking a 15-1 record into next week’s dual against Nebraska.

All-American may be Nagao’s ceiling in 2024

There was a lot of excitement when Aaron Nagao transferred to Penn State from Minnesota in the offseason. Nagao was coming off a successful redshirt freshman campaign that saw him finish 23-6 and No. 5 in the NCAA Tournament. It seemed logical to think that he would take the next step with the elite Penn State wrestling coaching staff and be a national title contender at 133 pounds.

Nagao entered the year No. 3, but hasn’t quite lived up to that expectation as we head toward the back half of February. It isn’t that he has been necessarily bad, carrying a 9-4 record with bonus points in all of his wins. Yet, there still has seemingly been a lack of consistency against the top opponents this year.

With a 9-6 sudden victory loss to No. 10 Dylan Shawver of Rutgers, it was the fourth time Aaron Nagao has lost to a quality opponent. His four losses are now to No. 1 Ryan Crookham (Lehigh), No. 4 Dylan Ragusin (Michigan), No. 10 Dylan Shawver (Rutgers), and No. 11 Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State).

There isn’t a bad loss in that group, but it just isn’t something that you would expect for a wrestler who was predicted to compete for a national title. It may be time to lower the expectations for Nagao, at least for the 2024 tournament. I still think he can still compete and finish in that No. 5 to No. 7 All-American range.

Now, part of the upside for Nagao is that he wrestled very well in both the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments last year, so there is still a chance he gets hot and makes a run. More than likely, though, working through the consolation brackets toward finishing on the podium is the most realistic outcome for the Nittany Lion.

Barraclough shines in the Bryce Jordan Center

Terrell Barraclough is traditionally a 165-pound wrestler, but we have seen a few times this season where he moves up to fill in for Carter Starocci at 174 pounds. On Monday, the senior did it again against Rutgers, and this time, he knocked off No. 13 Jackson Turley. The win included an impressive ride out in the third period that secured the 4-3 victory.

This is the type of feel good story that often is lost among the juggernaut that is Penn State wrestling. With five No. 1 ranked wrestlers and the other starters inside the top 10, there aren’t many surprising upsets that take place for the Nittany Lions. Call it spoiled, entitled, or whatever you want to call it, but it just hasn’t happened as much in recent years under Cael Sanderson.

Barraclough is someone who has continued to put in the work in the room. To have success in a venue like the Bryce Jordan Center against a ranked opponent, with the crowd behind him, is special to see. It is one of those core memories that the senior will now be able to hold onto well after his career is over.

Cochran puts on the most impressive performance of dual

Lucas Cochran continues to be one of the most impressive young Penn State wrestlers on the roster. Cochran had the most impressive performance of the dual on Monday after he took down No. 8 Yaraslau Slavikouski of Rutgers at heavyweight. Cochran typically wrestles at 197 pounds and was giving up approximately 40-50 pounds in the match.

The redshirt sophomore used his quickness to secure two takedowns and come away with a stunning 8-3 upset. Those who have been following Cochran this season aren’t too surprised with his talent. Before this dual, he recently won the Edinboro Open and has done well against quality opponents when Greg Kerkvliet is given the rest.

Depth of Penn State on full display

The depth that Cael Sanderson has acquired at Penn State wrestling was on full display yet again in this dual. Having two guys wrestle above their weight classes both secure upset wins over top-13 opponents is an insane accomplishment. It shows just how good the Penn State wrestling room really is, and that some of the guys would probably be ranked inside the top 20 if they were at a different program.

Lucas Cochran is only a redshirt sophomore, but he is 11-2 this season and has a bonus percentage of 61.54%. With Bernie Truax and Aaron Brooks leaving next season, it looks like Cochran could get one of those spots along with rising true freshman Josh Barr.

Terrell Barraclough has been a reliable option for Penn State when needing to rest either Mitchell Mesenbrink or Carter Starocci. Barraclough is 12-2 on the season with a 50% bonus rate and also won the Edinboro Open at his weight. While this is his fifth season, he still does have one more year of eligibility because of the pandemic. While Mitchell Mesenbrink will most likely be the starter at either 165 or 174 in 2025, Barraclough will have an opportunity to compete for one of those starting spots with Alex Facundo next season.

These are the types of duals that energize Penn State wrestling, not just for the potential in this upcoming postseason but for what is ahead for the program. There is a combination of experienced national champions and young talent that should have fans optimistic that the dynasty will be rolling for years to come.

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