Wrestlers get second loss of season

By Ryan Huber

Published Feb. 13, 2007

The stage was literally set Sunday in the Hearnes Center as Missouri tested out its Big 12 Championship floor set-up, which takes place in three weeks.

The mat, normally positioned on the floor, was raised five feet up and placed on a platform.

But the new configuration did nothing to stop No. 3 Iowa State, a team with recent wins over No. 4 Oklahoma St. and No. 8 Nebraska, as the Cyclones uprooted the Tiger squad in a 27-12 final.

"We'll move on," coach Brian Smith said. "We need to wrestle better. We didn't wrestle our best today, but we'll get back on track."

The surprise loss of the match came as the Tigers were down 18-12 and mounting a comeback. With a perfect 26-0 heading into the match, No. 1-ranked redshirt freshman Max Askren faced off against No. 10-ranked Kurt Backes. Seconds into the second period, Backes caught Askren by surprise with a quick move that resulted in a rare defensive pin. Both Max's older brother Ben Askren and Smith said a defensive pin doesn't happen very often.

"What happened to Max will happen one in a thousand times," Ben Askren said. "I don't expect that result the next time."

Backes said though the win didn't make his season, it was a good confidence builder.

"(Max Askren) is a tough kid and he scrambles a lot," Backes said. "I wanted to scramble with him. It was all in the timing."

Backes' pin effectively iced the dual for the Cyclones, who took a 24-12 lead into the final match.

The Tigers lost their two opening matches at 125 and 133 pounds but finally put three points on the board with freshman Ashtin Primus' 8-3 victory over No. 10-ranked Mitch Mueller.

The Tigers then faltered at the 149, 157 and 165 weight classes, giving up 11 team points to the Cyclones.

No. 1-ranked 174-pounder Ben Askren helped the Tigers decrease the Cyclones' 18-3 lead with a pin just 1:08 into his match.

No. 5-ranked Raymond Jordan gained three team points in the following match with a late third period two-point takedown to take a 6-4 victory over sixth ranked Jake Varner.

But with Max Askren's fall, the Tigers had no chance to recover.

"I think this proves we are a different team now," Cyclone 157-pounder Trent Paulson said. "Things are falling into place and we are going to be very strong in March."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the mat, Missouri appeared to take the loss in stride.

"We'll be fine," Smith said. "They wrestled well today, but we are missing Tyler (McCormick) at 33. You get a defensive fall at 97 and if that's the way they call it, they call it. It was a good dual. They wrestled hard, I give them credit."

Cyclone coach Cael Sanderson appeared content with the win and said he looks forward for the opportunity to beat Missouri again at the Big 12 Tournament.

"Backes' pin was a good win, and he gave it to us when we needed it," he said. "Our freshmen are doing well and are consistent. Our seniors are competing hard to get the win."