No. 1 Penn State and No. 2 Ohio State to clash in historic battle of titans on Saturday

Two powerhouses will go head-to-head this weekend in what is already considered one of the most historic college showdowns when No. 2 Ohio State travels to State College, Pa., to take on No. 1 Penn State in the most anticipated regular season matchup of the year on Saturday night.

No. 1 vs. No. 2 duals have certainly happened and are not uncommon. However, two teams so evenly matched with lineups full of star power and success on the national and international levels have not met up for a dual in recent memory.

“This is a real rivalry,” Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan said. “I can’t imagine being a student-athlete on either one of these two teams. This is every little kid’s dream. Bases loaded in the ninth inning of the World Series. This is a lot of fun. They’ve done a great job with their program and we’ve done really well here. Because of the people they have and the people we have, this is going to be a great event.”

Both programs are rich with tradition and have risen to the top under current head coaches Cael Sanderson of PSU and Tom Ryan of tOSU.

Sanderson, who took over the Penn State program in 2009, has led his squad to six NCAA team titles in the last seven years. The interruption of Penn State’s streak came in 2015, when Ohio State won its first NCAA team championship in program history.

Under Sanderson’s guidance, Penn State has had 16 wrestlers reach the top of the podium of which three won the Dan Hodge Trophy. Last season, Sanderson coached an NCAA record-tying five wrestlers to individual national titles to run away with the team title, scoring 146.5 points, which was 36.5 points more than second-place Ohio State.

Ryan, now in his 12th season, has propelled Ohio State to nine top-eight finishes in 11 seasons, including its title run in 2015 and runner-up finishes in 2008, 2009 and 2017.

During his tenure, Ryan has produced six NCAA champions that have combined for 11 individual national trophies. Among them is Logan Stieber, who won titles in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015, becoming only the fourth wrestler in NCAA Div. I history to win four national championships. He was also named the 2015 Hodge Trophy winner.  

When it comes to these two teams going head-to-head, Penn State holds a 19-12 series advantage over Ohio State in a rivalry that dates back to 1956. The Nittany Lions have won the last two matchups, with their most recent victory over the Buckeyes coming in 2017, 32-12.

"I think 10 years ago Ohio State-Penn State is a big match, but it's not like it is today,” Sanderson told Pennlive.com. "Two of the best teams in the country and multiple national champions on our teams; it's certainly a positive. To gain the interest this match has would have to be an Iowa-Iowa State, or Iowa-Oklahoma State or maybe Oklahoma-Oklahoma State back in the day. Wrestling's getting bigger and it's growing and it's fun to be a part of that.''

Examining these programs as a whole is impressive and enough to make any wrestling fan want to watch this weekend’s competition, but the individual matchups is have the potential to propel this dual into the all-time category.

Between the two lineups, there is potential for seven NCAA champions—holding nine national titles collectively—to take the mat on Saturday. The totals do not include Jason Nolf’s 2017 NCAA title.

Unfortunately due to an apparent knee injury suffered in the Nittany Lions’ dual against Rutgers last weekend, fans should not expect to see Nolf in the lineup against the Buckeyes, as announced by Sanderson in his weekly coaches’ show. Nolf is expected to return by the post season, according to media reports.

Sanderson told the media that Nolf’s spot would be filled by either Luke Gardner of Bo Pipher, both redshirt freshmen.

NCAA champs from Penn State’s squad include two-timer Zain Retherford plus 2017 champions Vincenzo Joseph, Mark Hall and Bo Nickal. Ohio State features two-timer Kyle Snyder, 2016 champ Myles Martin and 2015 champ Nathan Tomasello.

Six wrestlers are Big Ten champions, including Tomasello, Snyder, Retherford, Nickal, Bo Jordan of Ohio State and Kollin Moore of Ohio State. Leading the pack is Tomasello, who has been crowned Big Ten champ three times and at two different weights.

Three other wrestlers not already mentioned have received All-America honors, including Ohio State’s Joey McKenna and Micah Jordan and Penn State’s Nick Nevills.

"It's a big match," Sanderson said in his media availability. "There's going to  be big matches this year, next year, so we'll be ready. This isn't the first big match they've wrestled and it certainly won't be the last.''

The talent on these teams go beyond folkstyle success. There are 12 World medals from five wrestlers in the various age-group World Championships represented by Ohio State and Penn State athletes.

First and foremost is, of course, the remarkable Kyle Snyder, whose two NCAA titles are nothing compared to what he’s done world-wide.

With a 2013 Junior World gold and a 2014 Junior World bronze, his global domination on the Senior level started in 2015, when he represented the U.S. at the World Championships and claimed gold in his first Senior World outing, making him the youngest U.S. World champ in history at 19. In 2016, Snyder made history again becoming the youngest U.S. wrestler to win an Olympic gold medal at 20 years old. This past summer, Snyder scored another World title, defeating two-time World champion and 2016 Olympic champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev of Russia, who hadn’t lost a match in three years.

Other Buckeyes with World success are McKenna and Moore. Both medaled in 2017 with Moore picking up a Junior World bronze in August and McKenna snagging a U23 World bronze in November. McKenna also owns a 2014 Junior World silver medal.

Medals in the Penn State room come from Hall and Retherford. Hall is a two-time Junior World champion, winning in 2016 and 2017, and a 2014 Cadet World champion. Retherford is a 2012 Cadet World champion and 2017 Senior World Team member. Nickal represented the U.S. at the 2013 Cadet World Championships, where he took fifth.

Additionally, the two programs boast 18 ranked wrestlers out of a possible 20 slots.

All ten of Ohio State’s projected starters are ranked by FloWrestling with seven in the top five, counting Nos. 1 Moore at 197 pounds and Snyder at heavyweight. Coming in at No. 2 is Martin at 184 and Luke Pletcher at 133 pounds. Bo Jordan and Tomasello check in at Nos. 3 and 4 in their respective weights.

The Nittany Lions claim eight ranked wrestlers with four at the top of their respective weights, including Retherford at 149 pounds, Nolf at 157 pounds, Joseph at 165 pounds and Nickal at 184 pounds.  Hall hangs in the top at 174 pounds, checking in at No. 2.

“There are a lot of big matchups, and we’re excited about the matchups,” Ryan said. “These are the events that as a true competitor, you look forward to because the best of you will be needed. I just need the best of our guys and no more than that. I feel comfortable about our team and we’re ready to go.”

Fans can expect to see top-10 matchups at 149 pounds, 174 pounds, 184 pounds, 197 pounds and 285 pounds.

One of the most awaited bouts of the year will happen at 184 pounds where two NCAA champions will clash as Nickal will play host to Martin on Saturday night.

Nickal leads the three-year series, 4-2. However, most would agree that Martin has won the more critical match-ups.

In the 2016 NCAA finals, Martin, who had lost to Nickal three times that year, including the conference semifinals, stunned the Nittany Lion with an 11-9 decision to win the 174-pound national title.

A year later, Martin, ranked No. 8 at the time, knocked off then-unbeaten and Hodge frontrunner Nickal at the 2017 Big Ten Championships and advanced to the finals.

The two have yet to meet up this season, but based on the history of their previous battles, fans can expect to see an explosive bout.

Another exciting head-to-head will come at 174 pounds, where Hall will face three-time All-American Bo Jordan.

Although, this rivalry is younger, it has similar history to that of Nickal and Martin.

Jordan and Hall met up in last year’s 174-pound Big Ten finals. It was Jordan who took the match in dramatic fashion with a 4-2 sudden victory win. Just weeks later, Hall, a true freshman at the time, flipped the script with a 5-2 win in the NCAA finals for his first national title.

Other top-10 bouts will pit Retherford against No. 6 Ke-Shawn Hayes at 149 pounds, No. 6 Shakur Rasheed against Moore at 197 pounds and No. 6 Nick Nevills against Snyder at heavyweight.

“I want to beat them worse than I’ve wanted to beat any team since I’ve been at Ohio State. They’re so good,” Snyder said. “I like the hostile environment. It’s cool. I think we’ll be able to quiet the crowd in a couple of weights.”

Saturday night will give fans an opportunity to see how these two teams stack up against each other and a sneak peek into what could happen at next month’s Big Ten and NCAA championships, both individually and in the team race.

With the NCAA team race predicted to be a close one between the Nittany Lions and the Buckeyes, both squads have shifted things around in order to strengthen their lineups.

The Buckeyes moved Pletcher to 133 pounds this season after spending the 2016-17 campaign at 141 pounds. The move has proven so far to be a good one as Pletcher is undefeated on the year.

Additionally, Ohio State brought in two talented wrestlers this summer in McKenna, who transferred from Stanford, and Te’Shan Campbell, a 165-pounder who made the move from the University of Pittsburgh.

McKenna was a 2016 All-American as a freshman and won two Pac-12 conference titles while at Stanford. Campbell won the 2017 ACC Championship and was a two-time NCAA qualifier at Pitt.

Speaking of transfers, Penn State brought in three-time NCAA qualifier and two-time MAC Championships finalist Corey Keener from Central Michigan, who has taken over at the 133-pound spot, and Boise State transfer Carson Kuhn, who could potentially see action at 125 pounds this weekend.

Seeking more successful results from his lower weights, Coach Sanderson pulled true freshman Nick Lee from his redshirt last month to add power at 141 pounds. Lee is 18-3 overall this season with an unblemished 4-0 mark in dual action. 

Another interesting story line in the Penn State lineup is the battle between two strong competitors for the 197-pound starting spot.

Anthony Cassar was the primary starter for the Nittany Lions until Rasheed won the always-tough Southern Scuffle in early-January. Since then, the two have split the starting spot in the last four duals, winning all four matches.

With all the talent expected to be on display, there is no doubt this top-two matchup will be exciting to watch regardless of who comes out on top. The dual is set for Saturday at 8 p.m. ET at Penn State’s Rec Hall. The event will be broadcast live on BTN.

NO. 2 OHIO STATE AT NO. 1 PENN STATE

at Rec Hall (State College, Pa.), Feb. 3

Probable lineup
125: No. 4 Nathan Tomasello (OSU) vs. Devin Schnupp or Carson Kuhn (PSU)
133: No. 2 Luke Pletcher (OSU) vs. Corey Keener (PSU)
141: No. 11 Joey McKenna (OSU) vs. No. 6 Nick Lee (PSU)
149: No. 6 Ke-Shawn Hayes (OSU) vs. No. 1 Zain Retherford (PSU)
157: No. 5 Micah Jordan (OSU) vs. Luke Gardner or Bo Pipher (PSU)
165: No. 14 Te’Shan Campbell (OSU) vs. No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph (PSU)
174: No. 3 Bo Jordan (OSU) vs. No. 2 Mark Hall (PSU)
184: No. 2 Myles Martin (OSU) vs. No. 1 Bo Nickal (PSU)
197: No. 1 Kollin Moore (OSU) vs. No. 6 Shakur Rasheed or Anthony Cassar (PSU)
285: No. 1 Kyle Snyder (OSU) vs. No. 6 Nick Nevills (PSU)

NOTE: Individual rankings from FloWrestling