The Tigers have dropped to 1-3 for the first time since 2009. All three losses have come to teams in the top 12 but the Tigers have been outscored 70-34 as a team. They’ve had injuries keeping starters out of the lineup, but blue chip true freshmen have been wrestling well. This dual saw Mizzou again struggle from neutral, scoring zero takedowns from 133 until 174.
In Keegan O’Toole’s old high school, Missouri only won three matches and gave up bonus points at 157 and 184. They were also upset at heavyweight to cap the dual. Joel Mylin did well in place of Cam Steed up a weight class but wasn’t able to pull off the upset. There were also five extra matches that took place before the dual with Zeke Seltzer, Ellis Pfleger, Jake Stoffel, and Jarrett Stoner. The Tigers have had a brutal start to the season between injuries and strong competition, but now head into a small break before the Cougar Clash on December 7th.
125lbs: Gage Walker Dec. Kyle Golhoffer (5-0)
One of the bright spots from the dual, Walker has now strung together back to back dual wins. While Golhoffer isn’t ranked, he was a moment away from upsetting returning All-American Tanner Jordan last week. Walker got to a leg early and rode well from top, forcing two stalls for another point.
Again in the third period it felt like Walker was more focused on not getting scored on as opposed to getting a takedown of his own. It’s a small critique in a win, but hopefully something the freshman can adjust with more reps. If he can turn some of these closer matches to bonus point wins, I think it’s only a plus longterm to his confidence and development.
133lbs: #27 Cory Land Dec. #30 Kade Moore (5-2)
In this one Land got the first takedown and a full rideout in the second period. The third period I felt like Moore spent too long on top, and both wrestlers had stall points on each other. He eventually did go neutral but with limited time left wasn’t able to get anything going.
It seems like Kade Moore continues to have matches where he comes close at times but isn’t able to score. He’s great at creating wild scrambles, but often seems to be looking for the big move as opposed to establishing position. Multiple times last night he looked to be in a good position, only to try and force something and not actually get the finish. Moore also struggles to score when down, either getting stuck in long scrambles and stalemates or struggling to find a consistent set up to get to legs. Like a number of Mizzou wrestlers right now, it feels like they are on the precipice of taking that next step and climbing the rankings but coming up short.
141lbs: #6 Cael Happel Dec. #18 Josh Edmond (4-2)
While the score was low, both wrestlers were active throughout the match. The first period was scoreless with a lot of handfighting and exchanges, but no real penetration from either wrestler. Both wrestlers had quick escapes, but again no success from the feet. Happel kept looking for a knee pick with his underhook and came close a few times. He eventually used it to get to a single, and Edmond tried to inside trip to counter but Happel overpowered him for the takedown.
Edmond got up quick and stayed attacking, but Happel is sometimes reminiscent of a 141 Parker Keckeisen. He’s strong positionally and tough to score on, but this was Edmond’s best chance to take this one. He’s best in neutral and this was a one takedown match. It’s obviously easier said than done, but this was exactly how Edmond beat Happel last season. Edmond wrestled well don’t get me wrong, but it’s frustrating to see someone with his skill set come up short in a one score match in a big dual and upset opportunity.
149lbs: #24 Logan Gioffre Dec. Adam Allard (2-1)
Gioffre got the start and the win, but it wasn’t pretty. Both wrestlers were active in the handfight with plenty of fakes, but no real attempts in the first. The second saw Gioffre get ridden for a while before he set up a nice reversal and finished the period on top. Allard got out in the third though, but Gioffre was just barely able to fend him off.
If this season were just a bit different, it’d be easy to chalk this win up to a “survive and advance” type of match. Allard isn’t easy and Gioffre did what he had to do to win. However, he’s either had losses where he’s blown out or wins by the thinnest of margins. Gioffre took shots late, but it seemed more to just stave off stall calls rather than trying to score. He’s in great shape and handfights at a high pace, but I’m still not sure where the attempts are. Until that improves, it’s hard to feel great about where things stand currently.
157lbs: #6 Ryder Downey Tech J Conway (15-0 4:38)
This one surprised me and felt like a turning point for the Panthers. Like a lot of Mizzou wrestlers, Conway was doing a great job in the handfight in the first period. Conway hit a solid double, but Downey was just better and quickly turned his defense into offense with a takedown of his own. He finished the period on top with a tough ride, and Downey chose bottom in the second.
After a quick escape he got back on top with a takedown. Conway got to his feet a couple times, but Downey returned him right to a wrist tilt for nearfall. It looked about as tight as you can get, and Downey got him with another turn for the tech.
I didn’t have high hopes for Conway in this matchup, but I wasn’t expecting a tech. Conway continues to show the effort and hard wrestling you want, but coming up short. I think some of this was Downey making a statement and looking much improved, but it’s disappointing to see Conway have a worst result against him than the 12-5 decision last year. All of Conway’s losses have been to ranked wrestlers, but until he finds a win this is feeling like a large hole in the lineup.
165lbs: #30 Jack Thomsen Dec. Joel Mylin (4-2)
With no Cam Steed there were questions about who would get the start and how they would do. Mylin got the opportunity and looked about as good as you can bumping up a weight against a ranked wrestler. He was aggressive and kept the pace up all match, and seemed to keep Thomsen uncomfortable. The two were tied 1-1 with no real separation into the third, but eventually Thomsen managed to get in deep and that’s where it felt like the weight difference was apparent with a quick score. Mylin got out and stayed aggressive but he wasn’t able to score.
While a moral victory doesn’t make the dual result easier to swallow, Mylin demonstrated exactly what you’re looking for here. He wrestled hard and aggressively, clearly looking for the win as opposed to not giving up points. It’s something that’s missing in some spots in the lineup, but clearly not from the team. I think it’s a positive sign overall, and depending on Steed’s injury status I think Mylin has earned himself the #2 spot here.
174lbs: #1 Keegan O’Toole Maj. Nick Fox (14-2)
In his alma mater O’Toole didn’t get a ranked Jared Simma, but Nick Fox didn’t make it easy on him. O’Toole only got one takedown each in the first two periods but not for lack of trying. Fox was great at keeping up with O’Toole in scrambles and making things just awkward enough to force stalemates or extend positions to limit O’Toole. He got two takedowns in the third to get the bonus, but you could tell he was trying to set up a cradle in various positions. It was still a solid win for O’Toole who remains at 100% for his bonus rate.
184lbs: #2 Parker Keckeisen Maj. #10 Colton Hawks (17-4)
While I didn’t have Hawks pulling the upset, I was hopeful that he could make things interesting. It looked like it was going to be early, as the two had a high pace with plenty of back and forth shots in the first period with no scores. I thought Hawks was looking great in the handfight and even put Keckeisen on his heels at times. The second saw Keckeisen start to figure it out, and show that he is one of the best in the NCAA at making adjustments.
Hawks repeatedly had quick feet and lateral movement on Keckeisen’s attacks, but would react and separate then slowly get back to his feet. It’s not an unusual thing to see in exchanges, but Keckeisen made the change and started to string together multiple attacks, catching Hawks moving slow for a takedown. He even got a turn from top, with a great half and crab ride for quick nearfall. The third saw Keckeisen separate even more, as Hawks clearly went into survival mode. Keckeisen pushed for the tech with three more takedowns but Hawks just barely hung on.
This doesn’t change my opinion of Hawks too much, moreso elevates how I already felt about Keckeisen. One of my favorite non-Mizzou wrestlers, I think he and Carter Starocci are on tiers of their own right now. Keckeisen also just missed out on bonusing Bennett Berge last week and I think it put a chip on his shoulder in this one, not to mention getting to compete in his home state. Hopefully this is just an opportunity for motivation for Hawks and he keeps the confidence we’ve seen in other matches as I still think he could be a high podium contender with how he’s been wrestling.
197lbs: #15 Wyatt Voelker Dec. Aeoden Sinclair (8-5)
This match was more how I thought the Braunagel match would go, but I didn’t realize how stocky he is compared to other 197’s. Voelker looked much longer and bigger in general against Sinclair, who seems to struggle against lankier wrestlers. Voelker timed a great double in the first period and an even better ankle pick in the second.
Sinclair did well in the handfight but has a high stance at times, which was trouble in this one. He stayed aggressive and got one late in the third to come close, but ran out of time before he could tie it. As a true freshman I’m not surprised by taking some lumps, but I do wonder if Sinclair is a full 197 right now, or if he should be in the future. I think he could be a beast at 184, but with more time in a college weight room and matches in general I think he’ll have success wherever he ends up.
285lbs: #27 Lance Runyon Dec. #21 Seth Nitzel (6-1)
This was a rough dual for the Tigers and at this point locked up as a loss. However I thought this would be a good match for Nitzel to get back in the win column. Runyon is likely one of the few opponents he’ll see this season that may be smaller than him as a former 174. He looked like he would have success early, doing a good job of working his underhook. However Runyon got the first takedown, and used some scrambling you don’t see at heavyweight too often.
From there it felt like Nitzel didn’t have an answer. Runyon pushed him around the mat and bullied him from top. Nitzel even gave up a penalty point from cautions on bottom. In the third period Nitzel tried to ride and turn despite being down 4-1. Runyon’s a great scrambler though and ended up getting a reversal. Even with 30+ seconds left Nitzel didn’t do much from bottom, choosing to base out as time wore down.
This was a winnable match for Nitzel, and I’m not sure what broke down to lead to this finish. He went from winning the handfight and looking like the bigger, more physical wrestler to struggling to keep up. Runyon is a good wrestler, and I think he brings some unique things to the heavyweight division. However the past two matches it has felt like Nitzel hasn’t been in much of a hurry to score, and has given up multiple reversals from top. I’m hoping with some time off from competition and more individual practices this is something that can turn around and he can get back to expectations but this was a disappointing finish to the dual.
EXTRA MATCHES:
149: Zeke Seltzer Maj. Connor Thorpe (15-5)
149: #17 Colin Realbuto Dec. Zeke Seltzer (15-9)
174: Ellis Pfleger Dec. Izzy Moreno (3-2)
174: #19 Jared Simma Dec. Jake Stoffel (16-9)
285: Jarrett Stoner Tech Grant Stromberg (15-0 2:47)
These weren’t streamed anywhere so it’s hard to get too many takeaways from them. Pfleger got a chance to compete in his home state and get a win with a late takedown. I’m not sure why Northern Iowa put two of their ranked wrestlers in extra matches instead of the dual, but they both beat Mizzou wrestlers. Seltzer going 1-1 is interesting to me, and he had five takedowns between his two matches. He didn’t beat a tough Realbuto, but I’m curious what the gap between him and Logan Gioffre is right now. Similar at 285 with Jarrett Stoner, who made it look easy with a takedown and three turns for a first period tech. I’m not sure if Seltzer are Stoner have higher ceilings than Gioffre and Nitzel, but they’re wrestling hard, just won titles at the UCM Open, and are putting up plenty of points.
*Rankings provided from Intermat