Exactly one week after the electric dual of the year in college wrestling that saw Penn State conjure up a 19-18 win over Ohio State in Rec Hall, a much larger crowd will pack the Bryce Jordan Center to see how the Nittany Lions follow up that amazing performance. The sixth-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes are on their way to Happy Valley for a dual on Saturday night, February 10th at 8:00 pm eastern time. Tom Brands' team has suffered a pair of losses, to Ohio State and Michigan, this season, but in many ways, they are much further along than most expected. With top-ranked 157 Jason Nolf out for the number one team in the country, the door is open just a crack for a stunning upset. We'll find out live on the Big Ten Network whether the Hawkeyes can make the most of their chance.
Iowa leads the all-time series against Penn State 27-9-2. Penn State won last year's clash in Carver-Hawkeye, 26-11, after the teams did not meet during the 2015-16 season. The Hawkeyes were victorious in February of 2015, claiming an 18-12 triumph in the same venue they will occupy Saturday night. Cael Sanderson is just 3-4 against Iowa since taking the helm at Penn State. That makes the Hawkeyes one of two teams, the other being Minnesota, that have managed a winning record against the Nittany Lions under Cael over multiple duals. Sanderson has never beaten a Tom Brands team in consecutive duals as a head coach dating back to his days at Iowa State. He has a chance to do so Saturday night.
As always with our Dual of the Week, we’ll break down each match-up, what each team needs to do to win, make our predictions, and have WrestleStat’s take on the dual as well.
