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Oklahoma State Wrestling: Cowboys face Penn State in NWCA Bowl Series

By Andrew Miller

Mar 21, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestler Alex Derringer celebrates after defeating Indiana Hoosiers wrestler Taylor Walsh in the finals of the 165 weight class during NCAA wrestling division I championship at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestler Alex Derringer celebrates after defeating Indiana Hoosiers wrestler Taylor Walsh in the finals of the 165 weight class during NCAA wrestling division I championship at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Head coach John Smith leads the Oklahoma State wrestling team into a matchup with the no. 2 Penn State Nittany Lions in Gallagher-Iba Arena on Feb. 19.

This weekend, the no. 1 ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team faces their toughest test of the season so far. They face the no. 2 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions in the NWCA Bowl Series. The two squads face off on Feb. 19 at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater at 3 p.m. CT.

These two teams are the unanimous top ranked teams, no matter which rankings poll you look at. InterMat Wrestling actually has the Nittany Lions ranked as the best team in the country. Meanwhile, the Cowboys are coming off one of their best weekends of the season.

Last weekend, they swept the Wyoming Cowboys and the Oklahoma Sooners. Moreover, both teams did not even come within 30 points of beating OK State. That is an enormous amount of momentum to carry into the biggest match of the college wrestling season.

This is the last match at Gallagher-Iba Arena for multiple wrestlers on the OK State roster. Nolan Boyd, Kyle Crutchmer, and Anthony Collica, are all ranked in the top 10 in their respective weight classes, so they should be more than motivated to finish off their career at GIA on a solid note.

The OK State football head coach Mike Gundy even did a spot for the wrestling match this weekend to help gain some support for head coach John Smith. Gundy wore a singlet to promote this weekend’s match in Stillwater.

Saturday presents the last opportunity for the Pokes to notch a signature victory before the Big 12 Championships and the NCAA Wrestling National Championships, something that both OK State and PSU have their sights set on.

Maybe the most telling common opponent for the Pokes and Nittany Lions is their matchups with the no. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes. PSU defeated the Hawkeyes 26-11 on Jan. 20. Meanwhile, the Pokes defeated the Hawkeyes 24-11, in Stillwater, on Jan. 15.

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This is sure to be an entertaining match for any wrestling fan or Pokes fan. You can view all the projected matchups for Saturday’s match here.

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