The Tigers fell to 6-6 in duals and 0-1 against Big 12 opponents. Against UNI they won four matches with just one bonus win compared to the Panthers three bonus point wins. Some notable trends continued, with Mizzou giving up a riding time point in six matches and losing the takedown battle 13-12. They’ve been able to get to legs consistently but have difficulty finishing to a takedown.
There was a number of missed opportunities in the dual with wins and bonus points. Kade Moore, Zeke Seltzer, and Max Mayfield were in close bouts but weren’t able to score late. Mack Mauger gave up a big move late to give up a major. Josh Edmond and J Conway looked like they had bonus opportunities but second period rideouts slowed them down significantly. Missing Cam Steed was significant, and true freshman Peyton Westpfahl giving up bonus points against a highly ranked opponent. There was nothing shocking coming out of this dual but the Tigers continue to have the same difficulties in their final matches of the first semester.
125lbs: #27 Trever Anderson Maj. #28 Mack Mauger (12-0)
Mauger started this match well with getting to his shot multiple times in the first. Every time he did though Anderson went over the top and created a scramble with ankles that led to a stalemate. Then in the second after an Anderson escape he started to find his rhythm, scoring on an ankle pick. In the third period Mauger took neutral and got hit with Anderson’s whipover, a unique move that he is excellent at and nearly scored the pin.
I said going into this match that Anderson was better than this ranking, but Mauger was doing things right early. He has a good ability to get to legs but finishing and scrambling has been an issue at times. Going neutral was probably the right move, but it created a situation where Mauger would need at least two takedowns to win. That may work in a handful of matches but he needs to be able to consistently escape if he wants to take that next step. I still like Mauger’s upside but he has some clear deficits that need to be adjusted.
133lbs: #26 Julian Farber Dec. #17 Kade Moore (9-8)
This match started how I expected, with Farber scoring on a reshot and shutting down Moore’s scrambles. Moore hit another high flyer to put Farber on his back and get some nearfall for an early lead. In the third Moore had a three point lead and was defending well until Farber got back to his double and not only got the TD but put Moore in a position where he wasn’t able to adjust to try and get a stalemate or an escape. That led to Farber getting the riding time point to win.
