Penn State eased past Army in its return to Rec Hall on Thursday night.
Penn State wrestling made its 2021-22 home debut on Thursday, welcoming Army West Point to Rec Hall in not so friendly fashion, downing the Black Knights, 32-7.
The Nittany Lions rolled out a lineup that may well look a good bit different than the one we could see come March, with Baylor Shunk, Brandon Meredith, Terrell Barraclough and Creighton Edsell each getting starts in front of a lively home crowd.
Here are our takeaways from Penn State's comfortable victory.
1. Nothing is remotely set in stone
Penn State's home-opening lineup was one that could well look significantly different than the one the Nittany Lions roll out in the postseason. For one, defending national champion Nick Lee will almost assuredly be back in the lineup at 141 pounds after suffering a minor knee injury and being held out for precautionary reasons.
Past that, 125, 157 and 165 all figure to be weights to watch for the Nittany Lions. Baylor Shunk looked solid in picking up a victory at 125 for Penn State, but rumors have it that Central Michigan transfer and returning All-American Drew Hildebrandt could be filling that role soon enough. Hildebrandt is already enrolled in online classes with the university. Terrell Barraclough, who beat out Joe Lee for the spot at 157, struggled in his return from illness. Barraclough was ridden for over four minutes and fell 9-0. Lastly, Creighton Edsell took a tight 4-3 win at 165 pounds, but he'll have to fend off blue chip recruit Alex Facundo for that spot as the season progresses.
While it's certainly possible, particularly for Barraclough and Edsell, that they remain in the lineup, that's far from a certainty at this point.
2. Roman Bravo-Young is worth the price of admission
Senior Roman Bravo-Young, the defending national champion at 133 pounds, has talked time and again about how much he enjoys putting on a show. Bravo-Young did exactly that on Thursday night, picking up a whopping 12 takedowns on the way to a 26-11 technical fall victory in 6:36.
It's not just the amount of points Bravo-Young scores that's impressive, it's the manner in which he does so. The man they call RBY went deep into his bag of tricks against Army's Domnic Carone, twice jumping over the Black Knights' lightweight and at one point attempting an elevator for a fall. You'd be hard pressed to find better value for your money across the country than Bravo-Young.
3. Beau Bartlett just knows how to win match
It doesn't take a wrestling savant to tell you that sophomore Beau Bartlett is a bit outmatched at 149 pounds. Bartlett was well out-sized on Thursday against Army's PJ Ogunsanya, as he was a week ago against Oregon State's Cory Crooks. In both matches, however, Bartlett found a way to win.
Against Crooks, it was with a relentless third period rideout. On Thursday, he had a perfectly timed single leg takedown in sudden victory to come out a 3-1 winner over Ogunsanya.
"I've focused on my technique (and) adapting to college wrestlers," Bartlett said of his improvements in the offseason. "Really, our schedule is a good schedule. The wrestlers that we get to compete against are really solid, really good wrestlers and they want to win just as much as we do. So I think just my mentality and my technique, that's what I've really been working on."
Bartlett's size deficit likely limits his upside slightly come March, but his technique and composure make him a threat for the podium and foretell good things should he make the descent to 141, which is expected by many, in the years to come.
4. The back end will be a-ok
It doesn't come as a surprise to any one that the last four weights of Penn State's lineup is a murderer's row of sorts. After all, they feature the defending national champions at 174 and 184 pounds, a former NCAA finalist at 197 pounds and a returning All-American at 285 pounds.
Just how good that group can be, however, is yet to be seen. On Thursday, the Nittany Lions finished the dual with two tech falls and two major decisions to race away from Army. At 174 and 184, Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooks look plenty capable of repeating as national champions, while Max Dean and Greg Kerkvliet look primed to make a run at the crown at 197 and 285 respectively.
If Penn State enters the closing four weights of a dual even in remote touching distance of its opponents, the Nittany Lions have to feel good about their chances of coming out victorious.
5. Understanding the assignment
Prior to the season, Penn State coach Cael Sanderson put a call out for his wrestlers to put up more bonus points. In the past, the Nittany Lions have been known for their high-scoring style that led to bonus points not just in duals, but also in the postseason. That wasn't the case a year ago and the lack of bonus points really prevent Penn State from really challenging Iowa for a team time.
Through three duals, it's clear that the Nittany Lions understand the assignment. Penn State wrestlers have notched bonus points in 18 of their 25 match wins in duals this season. That's a whopping 72 percent. While yes, the competition has not yet been elite, it's still what you want to see if you're Sanderson or a Penn State fan. More encouragingly, that murderer's row from 174-285 is 12-0 through three duals with a perfect 100 percent bonus rate.
If Penn State is going to compete with what is unquestionably a loaded Hawkeyes' squad, it will have to continue to score bonus points at a high rate.
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