UPDATE: Penn State frustrates Rutgers 37-6 in Big Ten thrashing in sold-out Rec Hall
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by Andy Elder, Special to TheMat.com
Photo of Zain Retherford of PSU pinning Ken Theobold of Rutgers at 149 pounds courtesy of GoPSUsports.com
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Sweat glistening on his forehead, shoulders slouched, Rutgers coach Scott Goodale strode off the Rec Hall floor Friday night with the countenance of a frustrated man.
His No. 11 Scarlet Knights (7-2, 2-1 Big Ten) had just been dismantled, 37-6, by No. 2 Penn State (7-0, 3-0) in front of a packed house of 6,605 fans and Goodale was not pleased.
“It wasn’t great. We got overwhelmed in a lot of matches and gave up a lot of bonus points. We didn’t really compete. I think we came here with the mindset that we wanted to compete, but the reality is you get against a certain animal and you have to match his intensity,” he said.
“In a lot of cases, we didn’t do that. We were outmatched at a lot of weights, but you have to fight, and fight hard, if you want to perform up to your standards. We didn’t do that.”
The Nittany Lions wouldn’t allow it. They secured their 24th straight dual meet win by winning eight of 10 bouts and dominating on their feet, piling up a 30-9 edge in takedowns.
It was an overall effort that Penn State coach Cael Sanderson seemed pleased with.
“We lost a couple matches early but sometimes it just depends where the matchups are. Rutgers is a good team,” Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said.
“They have some good wrestlers that were just in the same weight of some of our guys that are really good as well. That is the dual meet aspect. It’s just how you randomly draw and match up with your opposing team. It was a fun match. I think the fans had a good time. When they come after you like they did, it makes it fun for everyone.”
The Nittany Lions scored two falls, three technical falls, a major decision and two decisions.
Five Nittany Lions — Nick Suriano (125), Zain Retherford (149), Jason Nolf (157), Bo Nickal (184) and Nick Nevills (285) — recorded bonus-point wins to remain undefeated.
Suriano, ranked No. 3 at 125 pounds, cruised to a 16-2 major decision over Brandon Paetzell to start the night.
Rutgers grabbed a short-lived lead with wins at 133 and 141.
Scott DelVecchio secured a decision at 133, using two takedowns in each of the first and third periods in an 11-4 win over George Carpenter, who was subbing for a still-injured Jered Cortez.
No. 6 Anthony Ashnault parlayed two first-period takedowns into a 4-1 win over No. 12 Jimmy Gulibon at 141.
Top-ranked 149-pounder Retherford vaulted Penn State back into the lead for good. He rolled up a 13-3 lead on No. 14 Ken Theobold before reversing the Scarlet Knight to his back and sticking him in 5:33.
No. 1 157-pounder Nolf followed suit, amassing a 22-4 technical fall in 4:09 over No. 16 John Van Brill.
Fourth-ranked Vincenzo Joseph increased Penn State’s lead to 20-6 as he scored 13 second-period points to notch a 19-3 technical fall in 4:55 over Willie Scott.
“I think (Vincenzo’s) improving overall, all positions, his finishes, his shots, his tie-ups, his snaps. He’s getting better on top. He’s not a guy that probably tried to wrestle on top a lot but in college that makes a big difference in close matches,” Sanderson said.
“He’s looking better, I think his confidence is continuing to improve. He’s wrestling really well. He’s scoring with a number of different attacks. His defense is solid. We’re happy where Vincenzo’s at. And I think he’s just doing a better job with his weight. His weight’s great right now. He’s a tough kid so he’s always gonna wrestle hard. He’s a lot more solid when he does a better job with his weight.”
At 174, No. 14 Geno Morelli gave the Nittany Lions their fourth win in a row with a narrow 5-3 decision over Phillip Bakuckas.
Bo Nickal, ranked No. 2 at 184, was locked in a close, contentious match with No. 14 Nicholas Gravina. Nickal led 2-0 and started the second on bottom when Gravina got a bit high with his ride. Nickal stepped through, grabbed Gravina’s leg and then reached back over Gravina’s head with his other arm, trapped the Knight’s head and flipped him hard to his back. He eventually flattened him for a fall in 4:27.
Retherford called Nickal’s move The Secret Move. Nickal said he and Retherford collaborated on creating it.
“We’ve been working on it for about a year and a half now. I’ve been waiting to bust it out,” Nickal said.
Goodale said Gravina was trying to do too much.
“Our kid throws a Merkle. He doesn’t throw a Merkle. He’s not wrestling within himself and these guys play wrestle a lot. Bo Nickal has a feel for every, single position,” he said.
“(Gravina) got out of position and (Nickal) went head hunting and scored a fall. Good for him. That kid’s tough. If you’re going to lose, go down swinging with your best stuff. Don’t do things you shouldn’t be doing.”
No. 11 Matt McCutcheon escaped midway through the third period and held off Matthew Correnti for a 4-3 win at 197.
And, at 285, fifth-ranked Nick Nevills scored three takedowns in each period to fuel a 24-9 technical fall in 6:57 over Ralphy Normandia.
“It’s a lot more enjoyable to go out there and get takedowns rather than have some of the closer matches that I’ve had,” Nevills said.
“The coaches have been stressing going out and being more offensive and getting the takedowns I’m capable of getting. It was a nice match to go out there and open up more. It was fun. If that’s what I have to do, it’s not bad to take a tech fall for the team. I can live with that.”
What Goodale couldn’t live with was that his team, even when faced with a superior opponent, couldn’t match Penn State’s intensity.
“It’s a non-stop attack effort. It’s non-stop. That’s what we have to take out of it. We’re wrestling the best guys in the country. It’s the intensity, it’s the pace of the match, it’s constant; it never stops,” he said. “As long as you’re out there the pace will never stop. If you want to wrestle at that level, you have to match it. That’s what we’re going to take out of it.”
In his 10th season as the Rutgers head coach, Goodale has the Scarlet Knights on the verge of being a perennial Top 10 team. The Knights have acquitted themselves well in their third year in the Big Ten.
The lineup Rutgers sent out against Penn State included all New Jersey wrestlers. That, Goodale said, will have to change.
“We’ve got to get outside. We’ve got to get the best kids in the country. I don’t care what state they’re from. They’re the kids we’ve got to get. These guys (Penn State) aren’t all Pa. kids. You’ve got to get the best kids in the country,” he said.
“It’s great that we recruit our state. We’ve got to be able to recruit our state, but to win at this level, you need the best guys that fit into your program. Wherever they are, we’ve got to find them.”
That, the coach said, requires being able to compete with the sport’s elite, like Penn State, to be able to attract that level of athlete.
“You’ve got to win. You’ve got to have All-Americans. You’ve got to have a national champion. You’ve got to be on the big stage more and more. And you have to wrestle better in these spots. That’s what attracts kids. Are kids attracted to us after tonight? I don’t know. I’ll bet they’re attracted to them. You can’t get all of them, so we need to wrestle better to where they’re attracted to us. That’s just reality. The national tournament’s important. The Big Ten tournament’s important,” he said.
“We have a lot of good guys at home right now. We have a lot of good guys ready to jump in our lineup next year. A lot of good guys are redshirting. There are better days ahead. But to attract the best guys, you have to wrestle better in these big spots. Let’s see how we respond. That’s important for us. We have a couple big ones coming up. This schedule, there’s no relief in this conference. We’ll respond. We’ll have a great week of practice. It’s frustrating. Nights like this don’t come around often. You have to take advantage of them.”
No. 2 Penn State 37, No. 11 Rutgers 6
(Friday at University Park, Pa.)
125: No. 3 Nick Suriano, PSU, maj. dec. Brandon Paetzell, 16-2.
133: Scott DelVecchio, RU, dec. George Carpenter, 11-4.
141: No. 6 Anthony Ashnault, RU, dec. No. 12 Jimmy Gulibon, 4-1.
149: No. 1 Zain Retherford, PSU, pinned No. 14 Ken Theobold, 5:33.
157: No. 1 Jason Nolf, PSU, won by tech. fall over No. 16 John Van Brill, 22-4 (4:09).
165: No. 4 Vincenzo Joseph, PSU, won by tech. fall over Willie Scott, 19-3 (4:55).
174: No. 14 Geno Morelli, PSU, dec. Phillip Bakuckas, 5-3.
184: No. 2 Bo Nickal, PSU, pinned No. 14 Nicholas Gravina, 4:27.
197: No. 11 Matt McCutcheon, PSU, dec. Matthew Correnti, 4-3.
285: No. 5 Nick Nevills, PSU, won by tech. fall over Ralphy Normandia, 24-9 (6:57).
Ridge Riley Award winner: Bo Nickal, 184 pounds.
Attendance: 6,606.
Referees: Jim Rivello, Mike Millward.
Takedowns: Rutgers 8; Penn State 30.
Records: Rutgers 7-2, 2-1 Big Ten; Penn State 7-0, 3-0.
Next match: Oregon State at Rutgers, 7 p.m. Friday; Penn State at Iowa, 9 p.m. Friday.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Sweat glistening on his forehead, shoulders slouched, Rutgers coach Scott Goodale strode off the Rec Hall floor Friday night with the countenance of a frustrated man.
His No. 11 Scarlet Knights (7-2, 2-1 Big Ten) had just been dismantled, 37-6, by No. 2 Penn State (7-0, 3-0) in front of a packed house of 6,605 fans and Goodale was not pleased.
“It wasn’t great. We got overwhelmed in a lot of matches and gave up a lot of bonus points. We didn’t really compete. I think we came here with the mindset that we wanted to compete, but the reality is you get against a certain animal and you have to match his intensity,” he said.
“In a lot of cases, we didn’t do that. We were outmatched at a lot of weights, but you have to fight, and fight hard, if you want to perform up to your standards. We didn’t do that.”
The Nittany Lions wouldn’t allow it. They secured their 24th straight dual meet win by winning eight of 10 bouts and dominating on their feet, piling up a 30-9 edge in takedowns.
It was an overall effort that Penn State coach Cael Sanderson seemed pleased with.
“We lost a couple matches early but sometimes it just depends where the matchups are. Rutgers is a good team,” Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said.
“They have some good wrestlers that were just in the same weight of some of our guys that are really good as well. That is the dual meet aspect. It’s just how you randomly draw and match up with your opposing team. It was a fun match. I think the fans had a good time. When they come after you like they did, it makes it fun for everyone.”
The Nittany Lions scored two falls, three technical falls, a major decision and two decisions.
Five Nittany Lions — Nick Suriano (125), Zain Retherford (149), Jason Nolf (157), Bo Nickal (184) and Nick Nevills (285) — recorded bonus-point wins to remain undefeated.
Suriano, ranked No. 3 at 125 pounds, cruised to a 16-2 major decision over Brandon Paetzell to start the night.
Rutgers grabbed a short-lived lead with wins at 133 and 141.
Scott DelVecchio secured a decision at 133, using two takedowns in each of the first and third periods in an 11-4 win over George Carpenter, who was subbing for a still-injured Jered Cortez.
No. 6 Anthony Ashnault parlayed two first-period takedowns into a 4-1 win over No. 12 Jimmy Gulibon at 141.
Top-ranked 149-pounder Retherford vaulted Penn State back into the lead for good. He rolled up a 13-3 lead on No. 14 Ken Theobold before reversing the Scarlet Knight to his back and sticking him in 5:33.
No. 1 157-pounder Nolf followed suit, amassing a 22-4 technical fall in 4:09 over No. 16 John Van Brill.
Fourth-ranked Vincenzo Joseph increased Penn State’s lead to 20-6 as he scored 13 second-period points to notch a 19-3 technical fall in 4:55 over Willie Scott.
“I think (Vincenzo’s) improving overall, all positions, his finishes, his shots, his tie-ups, his snaps. He’s getting better on top. He’s not a guy that probably tried to wrestle on top a lot but in college that makes a big difference in close matches,” Sanderson said.
“He’s looking better, I think his confidence is continuing to improve. He’s wrestling really well. He’s scoring with a number of different attacks. His defense is solid. We’re happy where Vincenzo’s at. And I think he’s just doing a better job with his weight. His weight’s great right now. He’s a tough kid so he’s always gonna wrestle hard. He’s a lot more solid when he does a better job with his weight.”
At 174, No. 14 Geno Morelli gave the Nittany Lions their fourth win in a row with a narrow 5-3 decision over Phillip Bakuckas.
Bo Nickal, ranked No. 2 at 184, was locked in a close, contentious match with No. 14 Nicholas Gravina. Nickal led 2-0 and started the second on bottom when Gravina got a bit high with his ride. Nickal stepped through, grabbed Gravina’s leg and then reached back over Gravina’s head with his other arm, trapped the Knight’s head and flipped him hard to his back. He eventually flattened him for a fall in 4:27.
Retherford called Nickal’s move The Secret Move. Nickal said he and Retherford collaborated on creating it.
“We’ve been working on it for about a year and a half now. I’ve been waiting to bust it out,” Nickal said.
Goodale said Gravina was trying to do too much.
“Our kid throws a Merkle. He doesn’t throw a Merkle. He’s not wrestling within himself and these guys play wrestle a lot. Bo Nickal has a feel for every, single position,” he said.
“(Gravina) got out of position and (Nickal) went head hunting and scored a fall. Good for him. That kid’s tough. If you’re going to lose, go down swinging with your best stuff. Don’t do things you shouldn’t be doing.”
No. 11 Matt McCutcheon escaped midway through the third period and held off Matthew Correnti for a 4-3 win at 197.
And, at 285, fifth-ranked Nick Nevills scored three takedowns in each period to fuel a 24-9 technical fall in 6:57 over Ralphy Normandia.
“It’s a lot more enjoyable to go out there and get takedowns rather than have some of the closer matches that I’ve had,” Nevills said.
“The coaches have been stressing going out and being more offensive and getting the takedowns I’m capable of getting. It was a nice match to go out there and open up more. It was fun. If that’s what I have to do, it’s not bad to take a tech fall for the team. I can live with that.”
What Goodale couldn’t live with was that his team, even when faced with a superior opponent, couldn’t match Penn State’s intensity.
“It’s a non-stop attack effort. It’s non-stop. That’s what we have to take out of it. We’re wrestling the best guys in the country. It’s the intensity, it’s the pace of the match, it’s constant; it never stops,” he said. “As long as you’re out there the pace will never stop. If you want to wrestle at that level, you have to match it. That’s what we’re going to take out of it.”
In his 10th season as the Rutgers head coach, Goodale has the Scarlet Knights on the verge of being a perennial Top 10 team. The Knights have acquitted themselves well in their third year in the Big Ten.
The lineup Rutgers sent out against Penn State included all New Jersey wrestlers. That, Goodale said, will have to change.
“We’ve got to get outside. We’ve got to get the best kids in the country. I don’t care what state they’re from. They’re the kids we’ve got to get. These guys (Penn State) aren’t all Pa. kids. You’ve got to get the best kids in the country,” he said.
“It’s great that we recruit our state. We’ve got to be able to recruit our state, but to win at this level, you need the best guys that fit into your program. Wherever they are, we’ve got to find them.”
That, the coach said, requires being able to compete with the sport’s elite, like Penn State, to be able to attract that level of athlete.
“You’ve got to win. You’ve got to have All-Americans. You’ve got to have a national champion. You’ve got to be on the big stage more and more. And you have to wrestle better in these spots. That’s what attracts kids. Are kids attracted to us after tonight? I don’t know. I’ll bet they’re attracted to them. You can’t get all of them, so we need to wrestle better to where they’re attracted to us. That’s just reality. The national tournament’s important. The Big Ten tournament’s important,” he said.
“We have a lot of good guys at home right now. We have a lot of good guys ready to jump in our lineup next year. A lot of good guys are redshirting. There are better days ahead. But to attract the best guys, you have to wrestle better in these big spots. Let’s see how we respond. That’s important for us. We have a couple big ones coming up. This schedule, there’s no relief in this conference. We’ll respond. We’ll have a great week of practice. It’s frustrating. Nights like this don’t come around often. You have to take advantage of them.”
No. 2 Penn State 37, No. 11 Rutgers 6
(Friday at University Park, Pa.)
125: No. 3 Nick Suriano, PSU, maj. dec. Brandon Paetzell, 16-2.
133: Scott DelVecchio, RU, dec. George Carpenter, 11-4.
141: No. 6 Anthony Ashnault, RU, dec. No. 12 Jimmy Gulibon, 4-1.
149: No. 1 Zain Retherford, PSU, pinned No. 14 Ken Theobold, 5:33.
157: No. 1 Jason Nolf, PSU, won by tech. fall over No. 16 John Van Brill, 22-4 (4:09).
165: No. 4 Vincenzo Joseph, PSU, won by tech. fall over Willie Scott, 19-3 (4:55).
174: No. 14 Geno Morelli, PSU, dec. Phillip Bakuckas, 5-3.
184: No. 2 Bo Nickal, PSU, pinned No. 14 Nicholas Gravina, 4:27.
197: No. 11 Matt McCutcheon, PSU, dec. Matthew Correnti, 4-3.
285: No. 5 Nick Nevills, PSU, won by tech. fall over Ralphy Normandia, 24-9 (6:57).
Ridge Riley Award winner: Bo Nickal, 184 pounds.
Attendance: 6,606.
Referees: Jim Rivello, Mike Millward.
Takedowns: Rutgers 8; Penn State 30.
Records: Rutgers 7-2, 2-1 Big Ten; Penn State 7-0, 3-0.
Next match: Oregon State at Rutgers, 7 p.m. Friday; Penn State at Iowa, 9 p.m. Friday.
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