Huskers Prepare for Toughest Road Trip of the Season - Huskers.com - Nebraska Athletics Official Web Site

Lincoln -- The 17th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team will take to the road for the second consecutive week as it travels to Oklahoma for a pair of dual against ninth-ranked Oklahoma in Norman on Friday, Feb. 7 and top-ranked Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Saturday, Feb. 8. Both matches begin at 7 p.m.

Scouting the Opponents
The Sooners are coming off an 24-14 loss to 13th-ranked Michigan State on Feb. 2 in East Lansing, Mich. Oklahoma (11-6) enters on a two-match losing streak after dropping Friday's decision to Missouri on Jan. 26.

Six wrestlers represent Oklahoma in their respective weight classes headling by second-ranked 141-pounder Teyon Ware. Ware enters the match against the Huskers with a 22-4 record.

Eighth-ranked Bo Mayes (125, 31-5), seventh-ranked Witt Durden (133, 17-4), fourth-ranked Robbie Waller (174, 24-5), fourth-ranked Josh Lambrecht (184, 15-2) and 14th-ranked Tom Grossman (197, 23-5) round out the Sooner ranked wrestlers.

Oklahoma is coaches by Jack Spates who is in his 10th year at Oklahoma and owns a 119-49-5 record and has a career record of 193-62-5 in 4 years as a collegiate coach.

Oklahoma State enters the match with the Cornhuskers on a 21-match win streak, including a 14-0 record this season. Ranked No. 1 in all major wrestling poll, Oklahoma Sate has all ten of its wrestlers ranked in their respective weight classes.

The Oklahoma State wrestlers are led by 133-pounder and defending NCAA Champion Johnny Thompson (18-2), and 141-pounder Zack Espositio (19-1).

Second-ranked wrestlers Tyrone Lewis (165, 18-0), Chris Pendleton (174, 19-1), Muhammed Lawal (197, 21-1), fourth-ranked Shane Roller (20-3), fifth-ranked Jerrod Sanders (149, 18-3), tenth-ranked Skyler Holman (125, 16-6), 12th-ranked Jake Rosholt (184, 12) and 18th-ranked Willie Gruenwald (HWT, 10-11) round out the Cowboys ranked wreslters.

Oklahoma State is coached by John Smith who is in his 12th season at Oklahoma State and owns a 191-23-3 record.

The Series -- OU/ OSU
The Sooners hold a 32-13-1 edge over NU all-time and have won three straight matches in the series. NU's last win came in 1998-99 when they defeated Oklahoma in Norman, 18-17.

The series with the Cowboys hasn't been on the side of the Huskers as Oklahoma State has won 42 of 44 meetings between he schools. NU lone win against Oklahoma State came in 1992-93 when the Huskers defeated Oklahoma State, 39-12 in Stillwater. NU also tied Oklahoma State in 1995-96.

Matchups Featuring Ranked Wrestlers
This weekend duals will feature 12 matches that will have both individuals ranked in their respective weight classes headline by junior Jason Powell who will square off against a pair of ranked foes. Five NU wrestlers will have two ranked wrestlers this weekend in Powell, Malia, Pascoe, Padden and Ruiz.

Powell will get a chance to prove he is the best 125-pounder in the Big 12 as he will face eighth-ranked Bo Maynes and tenth-ranked Skyler Holman this weekend. Last year, Powell defeated Holman at the NCAA Championships to earn a fifth-place finish and All-American honors. Powell lost to Mayes, 3-2 last season in their only meeting.

Junior Joey Malia will face two of the nation's best in top-ranked Johnny Thompson and seventh-ranked Witt Durden. This will be Malia's second and third match back since sustaining a knee injury.

No. 8 Travis Shufelt will battle fifth-ranked Jerrod Sanders of Oklahoma State. Shufelt beat Sanders last season at the Big 12 Championship to earn a trip to the NCAA Championships.

Sophomore Travis Pascoe (174) will face and fourth-ranked wrestlers in Chris Pendleton of Oklahoma State and Robbie Waller of Oklahoma. Justin Ruiz (197) will get competition from second-ranked Muhammed Lawal and 14th-ranked Tom Grossman. Ruiz defeated Grossman, 5-4 in last year's NCAA Championships and defeated Lawal at the 2002 Kaufman Brand Open, 5-2.

Ruiz Makes Return to Huskers Lineup
After being sidelined for more than two months with a hamstring injury, sophomore All-American Justin Ruiz finally made his return to the mat for the Huskers against Missouri on Jan. 31 in Columbia, Mo.

Ruiz scored a takedown early into his match against Donte Stone and recorded almost two minutes in riding time to record a 8-3 victory. With the win, Ruiz raised his record to 5-1 on the season and 2-0 in dual matches. He is ranked third at 197 according to W.I.N.

Huskers Have State of Oklahoma Connections
The Huskers have three members of its wrestling team/staff that have an Oklahoma connection. Head Coach Mark Manning was an assistant under Sooner Head Coach Jack Spates from 1993-96. During Manning's tenure at OU he coached 14 Oklahoma All-Americans, five NCAA finalists and one NCAA Champion, John Kading.

Junior 125-pounder Jason Powell is a native of Midwest City, Okla. In Powell's three years at NU he owns 3-5 record against wrestlers from Oklahoma and Oklahoma State

NU assistant coach Shawn Charles was the coach of Oklahoma's freestyle club team in 1996.

Huskers Battling Injuries in 2003
The NU wrestling team has had its fair share of injuries this season. Five NU wrestlers have missed some action this season while recovering from different injuries.

Ruiz was out for two months while recovering from a hamstring injury that he sustained at the Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 6. 133-pounder Joey Malia missed duals against Cal Poly, Fresno State and Wyoming while recovering from a knee injury.

Sophomore is out after suffering a jaw injury during practice. Redshirt freshman James Pummel has been out since Dec. 26 while recovering from injuries sustained during a car accident. Fellow redshirt freshman and 184-pounder B.J. Padden missed duals against UNK and Findlay while recovering from the same accident that injured Pummel. NU will also loss freshman Kyle Gubbels (197) for the remainder of the season. Gubbels injured his thumb against Wyoming on. Jan. 31.

NU Assistant Coach Shawn Charles Named to U.S. World Cup Staff
University of Nebraska wrestling assistant Shawn Charles has been named as assistant coach of the U.S. National team that will compete in the 2003 World Cup of Freestyle at Bank of America Center in Boise, Idaho, April 5-6.

Charles will be an assistant under wrestling legend Dan Gable of Iowa City. Boise State's head coach Greg Randell will round out the coaching staff for the U.S. team.

Jason Powell Wrestling Up NU Charts
With a win this weekend, junior Jason Powell would record his 17th dual victory of the season. His 17th victory will put him in a tied for ninth all-time for season dual victories.

With a winning percentage of .789, Powell is just off the career top-ten for winning percentage. His career record is 71-19, including 23-3 this season.

Last Time Out (at Missouri)
The return of All-American Justin Ruiz wasn't enough as the Huskers fell to the 18th-ranked Missouri Tigers, 23-14, Friday night at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo.

NU got off to a quick start after No. 5 Jason Powell defeated Mark Bader, 11-4. NU regained the services of junior Joey Malia who had missed the previous three duals while recovering from a knee injury. Malia defeated Chris McCormick, 11-2 to give NU a 7-0 lead. The Tiger then went on a match winning streak to take a led 9-7 and never trail again.

In a matchup of two top-ten wrestlers, eighth-ranked Jeremy Spates defeated NU's seventh-ranked Travis Shufelt, 7-4.

After Ruiz win at 197 pounds, the Huskers were trailing 19-14 and had a chance to win heading into the heavyweight matchup. MU's 15th-ranked Kevin Herron won a major decision over NU's Mitch Manstedt, securing the Mizzou win.

Huskers Get First Win over Top-Five Opponent Since 98-99
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