Joseph beats White and Nolf beats Berger as No. 1 Penn State stops No. 7 Nebraska , 25-6
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by Andy Elder, Special to TheMat.com
Jason Nolf of Penn State beat Tyler Berger of Nebraska in a battle of ranked stars. Photo by Mark Sellers , Penn State Athletics courtesy of GoPSUSports.com
UNIVERSITY PARK — Wrestling fans other than the 6,468 that crowded into a sold-out Rec Hall on Sunday may be deceived when they see that top-ranked Nittany Lion 165-pounder Vincenzo Joseph beat No. 6 Isaiah White, 2-0.
Joseph, who hasn’t competed since winning a title at the Southern Scuffle on Jan. 1-2, last met Nebraska’s White in the 2018 NCAA 165-pound quarterfinals. Joseph needed a slick takedown in a second sudden-victory period to pull out a 4-2 win on his way to a second consecutive NCAA championship.
On Sunday, Joseph’s win was one of six Penn State notched in pairs of ranked wrestlers, and eight overall, in the Nittany Lions’ 25-6 win over the Cornhuskers.
After a scoreless first period, Joseph rode White the entire second period and escaped in time to preserve a riding-time point in a 2-0 decision. Neither White nor Joseph were close to scoring a takedown. The match was decided on the mat.
More than anything, Joseph said, Sunday’s win was a byproduct of how much he has improved his mat wrestling. And, it was also with a heavy dose of respect for White’s offensive savvy.
“I think the match went a little differently this time. I'd like to get to my offense more. I'm sure we're gonna be wrestling again in the future. I knew I could ride him on top, so I just tried to put a tough ride on him and it worked out best,” Joseph said.
“He's a good hand fighter, good at keeping space between whoever he's wrestling. And me, I'm kind of shorter so he's good at kind of keeping me away. He's a good wrestler. We've been wrestling for years. He beat me in high school a few times. He's fast, he's good at it. It just makes me a little cautious and I don't want to just run in there because he can dart in and get to my legs. I have to play it a little safer; next time I'd like to open it up a little more….see what happens.”
Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson said the way Joseph won shows his personal growth.
“I think White is just a tough kid, great speed and athleticism. You’ve got to wrestle him in an intelligent way. It was good to see Vincenzo be able to win a match on a riding point. I don’t think that’s something we would have seen a couple years ago. I think he’s improving in those areas,” he said.
Nebraska coach Mark Manning, whose responses to reporters’ questions consisted of short sentences and sentence fragments, didn’t seem pleased with White’s effort.
“He rode us,” he said. “We didn’t work hard enough.”
Penn State (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten) won eight of 10 bouts against No. 9 Nebraska (8-3, 2-2) and accumulated a 24-7 edge in takedowns to run its dual-meet winning streak to 52, even without starting 184-pounder Shakur Rasheed in the lineup.
Nebraska claimed wins at 125 by No. 13 Zeke Moisey (6-1) and at 184 by No. 5 Taylor Venz (7-1), but that was it.
That fact left Manning short on words again. The coach called his team’s fight and intensity “average” and, when asked if he was looking for more of both, he said “Damn right. More guys getting their hands raised, and more often.”
Despite the fact that the Nittany Lions only recorded one bonus-point win, Sanderson seemed pleased with the improvement his team showed a week after its desultory 24-13 win over Wisconsin a week ago.
“You always have to think you can do better. Otherwise, you’re probably going to move backwards. I think Nebraska is a very strong team. Going into this dual meet it could be very close score if we don’t win those close matches,” he said.
“It was good to see our guys win close matches. It was good preparation for them, to be in battles like that. I think we could wrestle with a little more enthusiasm, a little more fire. They were better than we did a week ago. It’s progress and we’ll focus on the positives.”
Joseph’s win came on the heels of the other marquee bout of the day.
Penn State’s top-ranked Jason Nolf, the two-time defending NCAA champion at 157, was paired with second-ranked Tyler Berger, a two-time All-American. Nolf ran his career mark over Berger to 4-0, but this matchup was the closest of the four. Nolf used four takedowns, an escape and a penalty point to earn a 10-4 decision.
“Yeah, I'm not satisfied because even though I did take him down four times, I expect more out of myself. I'm not upset with how hard I wrestled and my effort. I think I gave 100-percent effort. I just had a little different mindset, I think,” Nolf said.
“Subconsciously, I was more focused on keeping my hands down and keeping him from darting in because I know that's his shot, he's gonna back up, back up and then try to dive in on my legs. As I was chasing him, I was trying to keep my hands down so it was kind of preventing me from getting my offense a little bit but I'll adjust and make sure I do next time.”
When asked about Berger closing the gap on Nolf — the three previous meetings resulted in Nolf wins by major decision or technical fall — Manning just said “Big brother,” apparently indicating that was how he viewed Berger and Nolf.
Penn State’s only bonus-point win came at 133, where No. 13 Roman Bravo-Young tallied nine takedowns and amassed 3:33 in riding time to earn a 20-7 major decision.
The Nittany Lions got decisions in the rest of their wins. No. 6 141-pounder Nick Lee (5-4) and No. 10 Brady Berge (7-4) each bounced back from upset losses against Wisconsin.
Penn State also got decisions from No. 1 174-pounder Mark Hall (5-3), No. 1 197-pounder Bo Nickal (8-6), who Sanderson said “wasn’t himself” and from No. 4 285-pounder Anthony Cassar (10-4).
After a scoreless first period, Cassar escaped quickly to start the second and turned up the intensity, scoring four takedowns in a 10-4 decision over No. 14 David Jensen.
“He’s definitely a very smart wrestler. His conditioning is very strong. He’s not a guy who’s going to slow down or fade as the match progresses,” Sanderson said of Cassar.
“He’s competitive. He’s confident. He thinks he can take anybody down. He just has to commit to it a little bit more. That’s what he started doing. As soon as he started throwing himself in there, he started scoring those takedowns.”
Sanderson gave credit to a Nebraska team that was rarely out of position and presented some formidable defense that was at times difficult for Penn State to penetrate.
“They were doing a really good of controlling ties and slowing guys down. I think they were ready for the matches. We needed to wrestle with just a little … whether it’s enthusiasm or more urgency, or whatever you want to say. They’re very solid. Very good fundamentals,” he said
“It’s great preparation for us. It gives us some things to work on all across the board. We’ll take it and get better from it.”
No. 1 Penn State 25
No. 9 Nebraska 6
(Sunday at University Park)
125: No. 13 Zeke Moisey, NEB, dec. Devin Schnupp, 6-1.
133: No. 13 Roman Bravo-Young, PSU, maj. Dec. Jevon Parrish, 20-7.
141: No. 6 Nick Lee, PSU, dec. No. 19 Chad Red, 5-4.
149: No. 10 Brady Berge, PSU, dec. Jordan Shearer, 7-4.
157: No. 1 Jason Nolf, PSU, dec. No. 2 Tyler Berger, 10-4.
165: No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph, PSU, dec. No. 6 Isaiah White, 2-0.
174: No. 1 Mark Hall, dec. No. 9 Mikey Labriola, 5-3.
184: No. 5 Taylor Venz, NEB, dec. Mason Manville, 7-1.
197: No. 1 Bo Nickal, PSU, dec. No. 11 Eric Schultz, 8-6.
285: No. 4 Anthony Cassar, PSU, dec. No. 14 David Jensen, 10-4.
Referee: John Nath.
Attendance: 6,468.
Ridge Riley Award winner: Jason Nolf, 157 pounds.
Takedowns: Nebraska 7; Penn State 24.
Records: Nebraska 8-3, 2-2 Big Ten; Penn State 7-0, 3-0.
Next match: Penn State at Purdue, 7 p.m. Friday.
UNIVERSITY PARK — Wrestling fans other than the 6,468 that crowded into a sold-out Rec Hall on Sunday may be deceived when they see that top-ranked Nittany Lion 165-pounder Vincenzo Joseph beat No. 6 Isaiah White, 2-0.
Joseph, who hasn’t competed since winning a title at the Southern Scuffle on Jan. 1-2, last met Nebraska’s White in the 2018 NCAA 165-pound quarterfinals. Joseph needed a slick takedown in a second sudden-victory period to pull out a 4-2 win on his way to a second consecutive NCAA championship.
On Sunday, Joseph’s win was one of six Penn State notched in pairs of ranked wrestlers, and eight overall, in the Nittany Lions’ 25-6 win over the Cornhuskers.
After a scoreless first period, Joseph rode White the entire second period and escaped in time to preserve a riding-time point in a 2-0 decision. Neither White nor Joseph were close to scoring a takedown. The match was decided on the mat.
More than anything, Joseph said, Sunday’s win was a byproduct of how much he has improved his mat wrestling. And, it was also with a heavy dose of respect for White’s offensive savvy.
“I think the match went a little differently this time. I'd like to get to my offense more. I'm sure we're gonna be wrestling again in the future. I knew I could ride him on top, so I just tried to put a tough ride on him and it worked out best,” Joseph said.
“He's a good hand fighter, good at keeping space between whoever he's wrestling. And me, I'm kind of shorter so he's good at kind of keeping me away. He's a good wrestler. We've been wrestling for years. He beat me in high school a few times. He's fast, he's good at it. It just makes me a little cautious and I don't want to just run in there because he can dart in and get to my legs. I have to play it a little safer; next time I'd like to open it up a little more….see what happens.”
Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson said the way Joseph won shows his personal growth.
“I think White is just a tough kid, great speed and athleticism. You’ve got to wrestle him in an intelligent way. It was good to see Vincenzo be able to win a match on a riding point. I don’t think that’s something we would have seen a couple years ago. I think he’s improving in those areas,” he said.
Nebraska coach Mark Manning, whose responses to reporters’ questions consisted of short sentences and sentence fragments, didn’t seem pleased with White’s effort.
“He rode us,” he said. “We didn’t work hard enough.”
Penn State (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten) won eight of 10 bouts against No. 9 Nebraska (8-3, 2-2) and accumulated a 24-7 edge in takedowns to run its dual-meet winning streak to 52, even without starting 184-pounder Shakur Rasheed in the lineup.
Nebraska claimed wins at 125 by No. 13 Zeke Moisey (6-1) and at 184 by No. 5 Taylor Venz (7-1), but that was it.
That fact left Manning short on words again. The coach called his team’s fight and intensity “average” and, when asked if he was looking for more of both, he said “Damn right. More guys getting their hands raised, and more often.”
Despite the fact that the Nittany Lions only recorded one bonus-point win, Sanderson seemed pleased with the improvement his team showed a week after its desultory 24-13 win over Wisconsin a week ago.
“You always have to think you can do better. Otherwise, you’re probably going to move backwards. I think Nebraska is a very strong team. Going into this dual meet it could be very close score if we don’t win those close matches,” he said.
“It was good to see our guys win close matches. It was good preparation for them, to be in battles like that. I think we could wrestle with a little more enthusiasm, a little more fire. They were better than we did a week ago. It’s progress and we’ll focus on the positives.”
Joseph’s win came on the heels of the other marquee bout of the day.
Penn State’s top-ranked Jason Nolf, the two-time defending NCAA champion at 157, was paired with second-ranked Tyler Berger, a two-time All-American. Nolf ran his career mark over Berger to 4-0, but this matchup was the closest of the four. Nolf used four takedowns, an escape and a penalty point to earn a 10-4 decision.
“Yeah, I'm not satisfied because even though I did take him down four times, I expect more out of myself. I'm not upset with how hard I wrestled and my effort. I think I gave 100-percent effort. I just had a little different mindset, I think,” Nolf said.
“Subconsciously, I was more focused on keeping my hands down and keeping him from darting in because I know that's his shot, he's gonna back up, back up and then try to dive in on my legs. As I was chasing him, I was trying to keep my hands down so it was kind of preventing me from getting my offense a little bit but I'll adjust and make sure I do next time.”
When asked about Berger closing the gap on Nolf — the three previous meetings resulted in Nolf wins by major decision or technical fall — Manning just said “Big brother,” apparently indicating that was how he viewed Berger and Nolf.
Penn State’s only bonus-point win came at 133, where No. 13 Roman Bravo-Young tallied nine takedowns and amassed 3:33 in riding time to earn a 20-7 major decision.
The Nittany Lions got decisions in the rest of their wins. No. 6 141-pounder Nick Lee (5-4) and No. 10 Brady Berge (7-4) each bounced back from upset losses against Wisconsin.
Penn State also got decisions from No. 1 174-pounder Mark Hall (5-3), No. 1 197-pounder Bo Nickal (8-6), who Sanderson said “wasn’t himself” and from No. 4 285-pounder Anthony Cassar (10-4).
After a scoreless first period, Cassar escaped quickly to start the second and turned up the intensity, scoring four takedowns in a 10-4 decision over No. 14 David Jensen.
“He’s definitely a very smart wrestler. His conditioning is very strong. He’s not a guy who’s going to slow down or fade as the match progresses,” Sanderson said of Cassar.
“He’s competitive. He’s confident. He thinks he can take anybody down. He just has to commit to it a little bit more. That’s what he started doing. As soon as he started throwing himself in there, he started scoring those takedowns.”
Sanderson gave credit to a Nebraska team that was rarely out of position and presented some formidable defense that was at times difficult for Penn State to penetrate.
“They were doing a really good of controlling ties and slowing guys down. I think they were ready for the matches. We needed to wrestle with just a little … whether it’s enthusiasm or more urgency, or whatever you want to say. They’re very solid. Very good fundamentals,” he said
“It’s great preparation for us. It gives us some things to work on all across the board. We’ll take it and get better from it.”
No. 1 Penn State 25
No. 9 Nebraska 6
(Sunday at University Park)
125: No. 13 Zeke Moisey, NEB, dec. Devin Schnupp, 6-1.
133: No. 13 Roman Bravo-Young, PSU, maj. Dec. Jevon Parrish, 20-7.
141: No. 6 Nick Lee, PSU, dec. No. 19 Chad Red, 5-4.
149: No. 10 Brady Berge, PSU, dec. Jordan Shearer, 7-4.
157: No. 1 Jason Nolf, PSU, dec. No. 2 Tyler Berger, 10-4.
165: No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph, PSU, dec. No. 6 Isaiah White, 2-0.
174: No. 1 Mark Hall, dec. No. 9 Mikey Labriola, 5-3.
184: No. 5 Taylor Venz, NEB, dec. Mason Manville, 7-1.
197: No. 1 Bo Nickal, PSU, dec. No. 11 Eric Schultz, 8-6.
285: No. 4 Anthony Cassar, PSU, dec. No. 14 David Jensen, 10-4.
Referee: John Nath.
Attendance: 6,468.
Ridge Riley Award winner: Jason Nolf, 157 pounds.
Takedowns: Nebraska 7; Penn State 24.
Records: Nebraska 8-3, 2-2 Big Ten; Penn State 7-0, 3-0.
Next match: Penn State at Purdue, 7 p.m. Friday.
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