PSU v. Oklahoma State Superdual

Christian Pyles



Penn State has gone out of its way to dual the best teams in the country. They already wrestle at the Scuffle, and have the Big 10 Dual season, yet they went out of their way to schedule both Iowa and Oklahoma State this year to add to a very tough schedule.



And we the fans get to reap all the benefits!



125-#2 Nico Megaludis v. #18 Eddie Klimara

Two familiar opponents and a match where Nico will continue to be the big favorite. Eddie is tough enough on his feet to make Nico work and keep the score reasonable. However, Eddie will struggle to score on Nico and keep him at bay for 7 minutes. It was an 11-4 win for Nico a year ago. I like Eddie to keep it closer this time around, but ultimately it’s going to be 3 for PSU.



Nico Megaludis WBD Eddie Klimara



3-0 PSU



133 #14 Jimmy Gulibon v. #5 Jon Morrison

Match number three between these Morrison and Gulibon, and there isn’t much to suggest this match will go differently than the two before it. It’s simply a bad matchup for Gulibon. Morrison is so great at getting to legs and finishing as well as staying away from the positions where Jimmy is good, that it makes it nearly impossible for Gulibon to get things going. Not only does Jimmy struggle to defend Morrison’s attacks, he also has had difficulty getting away on bottom. Those issues are not yet resolved I’m afraid. Morrison will pick his spot or two, blow through Jimmy’s head hands and that’ll be that. Even if Morrison somehow gave up an early TD, his offense and the well-roundedness (maybe that’s a word?) of his game will allow him to come back and win with little issue. Not a potential bonus point match, but a breeze for Morrison.



Jon Morrison WBD Jimmy Gulibon



3-3



141 #3 Zain Retherford v. #17 Anthony Collica

True Freshman battle it out here! Hard to find a way Collica can win. He’s savvy and skilled on his feet, but I don’t think he has the defense to keep Zain from getting to his attacks to finish. Look for Zain to dominate position get to the legs, finish and ride for awhile. Collica could get to the legs, but I think Zain will prove to tough in the scrambles to finish on. Collica will take some shots, but I think he'll leave himself open to re-attacks where Zain is amazing. . Collica will be a good one, but Zain is on a different level right now.



Zain Retherford WBD Anthony Collica



6-3 PSU











149 #18 Zach Beitz v. #8 Josh Kindig

Beitz has been knocking on the door of getting that signature win for some time now. Kindig needed a wild comeback against Dalton Kelley of CSU Bakersfield and lost to Kendric Maple. I think this could be a potential upset. Beitz has just impressed the heck out of me recently. His record is far from inspiring, but when you watch him go, it’s very clear he belongs. He’s basically all ankle pick on his feet but he can stand and hand fight well as well as scramble at a very high level. We know he’ll be able to go for 7 minutes, will Kindig? I like Beitz here and I’m not sure why. Just the way I see things trending. Beitz is due. Kindig hasn’t been inspiring. I’m going with it.



Zach Beitz WBD Josh Kindig



9-3 PSU



157 #12 Dylan Alton v. #2 Alex Dieringer

Dylan has been in search of that first big win, and this could be the spot to do it. Dieringer has been great all year, losing only to Derek St. John. This is going to be a razor tight match as both guys are content to win one takedown matches. Combine that with the fact both guys are very hard to score on, and I think we’ll see a close, one takedown match. I am not sure Alton is really clicking on all cylinders currently. His attacks were clean and crisp against Ness, but finishing was (clearly) another story. While Dieringer doesn’t present the problems that Ness does, I think Dylan will only have a few chances to get to the legs. Maybe it’s a RT point, or Dieringer gets the takedown, but I think he finds a way to win in uninspiring fashion. Nearly pulled the trigger on the upset call here, but thought better of it.



Alex Dieringer WBD Dylan Alton



9-6 PSU



165 #1 David Taylor v. #2 Tyler Caldwell

We’ve seen this match twice before and both times It’s been a DT major. I’m interested to see if Caldwell goes under Taylor again. The way Taylor turned him at the Scuffle were unconventional at best. Caldwell needs to keep things on their feet, hope he can steal a td and see if he can win that way. I think Taylor will be able to get the takedown in the first and force Caldwell to go down. I completely understand whatever decision Caldwell makes regarding choice, as there’s not really a clear answer here.



In the end I do like a closer result, albeit a one sided one for Taylor. DT has looked fine, but to me he looks like he’s just ready for March. He yawns to a 5 point win or so.



David Taylor WBD Tyler Caldwell



12-6 PSU

