Huskers Travel to No. 1 Penn State

The No. 6 Nebraska wrestling team (9-5, 2-2 Big Ten) heads back on the road Friday, Jan. 30, for a top-10 Big Ten dual at No. 1 Penn State (11-0, 5-0 Big Ten) in University Park, Pa. The dual is set to begin at 7 p.m. (CT) and will be televised on BTN. 

NU enters Friday following a challenging home double-dual slate, falling to No. 4 Iowa, 22-14, and No. 2 Ohio State, 17-16, at the Devaney Center. The Huskers now face another major test against the unbeaten Nittany Lions in a tough road dual environment. 

The Big Ten continues to establish itself as a prominent wrestling conference, with six of the top-10 teams in the Jan. 27 NWCA poll coming from the Big Ten. NU brings eight starters ranked inside Intermat’s top 10, while Penn State features all 10 starters ranked, including six ranked No. 1 nationally. Friday’s dual could feature as many as nine ranked bouts.  

Huskers to Watch
157: Antrell Taylor has been dominant since early December. Following his only two losses of the season at the National Duals, the fifth-ranked wrestler has recorded six bonus-point wins. Taylor enters the weekend with a 15-2 overall record, an 11-2 dual mark and 47 dual points. 

174: Christopher Minto climbed to No. 4 in the rankings after his upset win over then-No. 4 Carson Kharchla of Ohio State. The sophomore is 14-3 on the season and enters the weekend at 38 career wins, two shy of his 40th career win.  

184: Silas Allred moved up to No. 6 after defeating No. 5 Dylan Fishback last weekend. The senior has totaled 30 dual points this season and has reached both 90 career wins and 40 career dual wins, all with NU.  

197: Camden McDanel went unbeaten last weekend and added a bonus-point win against Iowa. The sophomore is 14-4 overall and 11-3 in dual competition this season. 

Friday’s dual could feature two notable rematches. At 149, No. 18 Chance Lamer is 0-1 against No. 1 Shayne Van Ness after the pair met at the 2023 Big Ten Championships while Lamer was at Michigan. At 197, No. 9 Camden McDanel is 0-2 against No. 1 Josh Barr, with both losses coming by technical fall during the regular season and Big Ten Championships.

Scouting Penn State
Penn State is coming off a dominant double-dual weekend, shutting out Indiana (48-0) and Maryland (51-0). Of Nittany Lions’ 20 individual victories, 19 were bonus-point wins. 

Penn State has allowed no more than seven team points in a dual this season, with Wyoming accounting for the highest total in a 40-7 loss on Dec. 13. 

History
Penn State Series: Penn State leads 13-8-1
Last Meeting: Jan. 17, 2025 in Lincoln, Neb. (Penn State won 31-7) 

Penn State has won the last nine meetings in the series. 

Up Next
The Huskers return to Lincoln for their final home matchup of the season against Northwestern on Sunday, Feb. 8 at 1 p.m. (CT). The dual will feature Senior Day celebrations and will be streamed on B1G+. 

No. 6 Nebraska (9-5, 2-2 Big Ten)
125: Alan Koehler 
133: #10 Jacob Van Dee
141: #4 Brock Hardy 
149: #18 Chance Lamer 
157: #5 Antrell Taylor
165: #7 LJ Araujo
174: #4 Christopher Minto
184: #6 Silas Allred
197: #9 Camden McDanel
HWT: #4 AJ Ferrari or Cade Ziola

No. 1 Penn State (11-0, 5-0 Big Ten)
125: #1 Luke Lilledahl
133: #4 Marcus Blaze
141: #12 Braeden Davis
149: #1 Shayne Van Ness
157: #3 PJ Duke
165: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink
174: #1 Levi Haines
184: #1 Rocco Welsh
197: #1 Josh Barr
HWT: #12 Cole Mirasola

Team leaders by category among starters: 

• Dual Record: Taylor (11-2)
• Dual Points: Taylor (47)
• Dual Takedowns: Minto (31)
• Pins: Taylor / Hardy (3)
• Technical Falls: Taylor / Lauridsen (4)
• Major Decisions: Lamer (6)
• Quickest Pin: Lauridsen (1:13)