One of the main talking points coming out of the Iowa-Ohio State dual on Friday was that the final score was deceiving; while Iowa won 32-3, it wasn't the hellacious beatdown that a score like that would suggest. Five of the ten matches were decided by three points or less, after all. On the other hand, while the matches were close, the Iowa wrestlers weren't in a great deal of danger in many of them, either. But still: keep it close and you can expect to get in trouble. Just ask Ryan Morningstar. There's a reason why Tom Brands preaches dominance, after all. But after another dual where the final score (31-6) suggested far more dominance than was actually on display, it might be time to... well, not panic because things clearly aren't that troubling. But at least hold the horses on the WOO DOMINANCE JUST GIVE US THE TROPHIES NOW caravan, perhaps.
125: #3 Matt McDonough (rsFR, 29-0) maj dec (10-1) Drew Hammen (SR, 6-19) (4-0, Iowa)
133: #3 Dan Dennis (SR, 16-2) dec. (2-1) #6 Tyler Graff (rs FR, 23-5) (7-0, Iowa)
141: #4 Montell Marion (SO, 19-4) dec. (11-4) Cole Schmiit (rs FR, 12-13) (10-0, Iowa)
149: #1 Brent Metcalf (SR, 29-0) win by forfeit #5 Kyle Ruschell (SR, 24-3) (16-0, Iowa)
157: Jake Kerr (JR, 9-7) dec. (6-5) Greg Burke (JR, 4-18) (19-0, Iowa)
165: #1 Andrew Howe (SO, 28-0) dec. (2-1) #4 Ryan Morningstar (SR, 23-4) (19-3, Iowa)
174: #2 Jay Borschel (SR, 28-0) PINFALL (4:26) Brendan Ard (FR, 1-9) (25-3, Iowa)
184: #11 Phil Keddy (SR, 21-6) dec. (4-3) Travis Rutt (SO, 12-7) (28-3, Iowa)
197: #6 Trevor Brandvold (JR, 17-3) dec. (4-2) Luke Lofthouse (JR, 19-13) (28-6, Iowa)
Hwt: #10 Dan Erekson (SR, 8-0) dec. (3-2) Eric Bugenhagen (JR, 13-17) (31-6, Iowa)
Two of Iowa's usual three horsemen of the apocalypse this season were great -- McDonough and Borschel. There's nothing at all to complain about with those two, really. And the third horseman of the apocalypse (duh - Metcalf) didn't get a chance to strut his dominance since Ruschell decided to take a powder today (to be fair, he did apparently sustain a neck injury on Friday and wrestling Metcalf is generally not a doctor-approved way to treat a neck injury). Marion did fairly well after giving up an early takedown, although an escape he allowed with :05 remaining in the period kept the match from being a major decision. Those bonus points may be irrelevant in a lopsided dual meet like this, but they can be crucial come tourney time in March.
But the rest of the team... Dennis continues to be in a funk (he got dinged for a stall warning in the first period, which is unconscionable), although Graff is a quality foe. Kerr isn't doing his chances of winning the 157 spot any favors by only scoring a one-point win against a guy with a 4-18 record. Morningstar still cannot figure out Howe. And Keddy and Erekson didn't post very impressive wins over middle-of-the-pack (or worse) competition. Maybe this was just a bump in the road from a team worn down from the dual meet season and from getting hyped up for a pair of back-to-back top five opponents. Maybe two weeks off to recharge and get ready for the Big Ten Tournament is just what they need. Those matches mean far more than the matches today, obviously. Let's hope that's the case, anyway. Because the time for fucking around is over now; it's time to go win some hardware.