James Hackney
All Time Record vs: 7-2
Mizzou will try and bounce back in a tri-dual in Utah against Wyoming then Utah Valley. The Tigers looked especially flat in last week’s upset loss to SDSU and will need to improve here or they will again drop matches against two tough teams. The dual is at altitude which will add an extra layer for a Tigers team whose conditioning looked suspect at times this season. Last year, Mizzou won this dual 29-3 and will look to have a repeat performance here. Kent, Rocky, and Zach all have difficult matches this week and will have to step up after their losses last week.
125lbs: #14 Noah Surtin (14-3) vs Brendon Garcia (11-8)
Surtin has gotten solid wins the past two duals but hasn’t had the same pop he had early on in the season. He’ll have a good chance here as Garcia is 5-4 against D1 competition this season. Last year Garcia actually beat Surtin 13-6 in extra matches after the dual, but Surtin looks much improved since becoming the starter. Surtin has looked for upper body moves a lot the past few matches, and I’d like to see him get back to some more consistent leg attacks. If Surtin can get to the top position, I’d expect him to get some turns as well and hopefully avenge last season’s loss.
Prediction: Surtin Dec. Garcia 7-2 (MIZ 3 WYO 0)
