No. 3 Ohio State won six of ten bouts on Sunday to hand seventh-ranked Penn State wrestling its first loss of the season, 22-15. The loss is the first against Ohio State since 2010 and Penn State’s first since dropping a match against Minnesota last February.

How It Happened

The match began with a top-ten tussle at 125 where No. 8 Jordan Conaway took on No. 7 Nathan Tomasello. Tomasello, a freshman, jumped out to a 7-1 lead after one period. The young Buck(eye) continued to amass points on takedowns on his way to an 11-2 major decision. The bout at 133 was another between top-ten foes. No. 10 Jimmy Gulibon battled No. 4 Johnni DiJulius. The Nittany Lion sophomore trailed 3-2 after the first period and decided to start the second down. He quickly escaped to tie and end the second period. DiJulius chose down to start the third where he escaped, only to be taken down by Gulibon who completed the ride out and the victory, 5-4.

Redshirt freshman Kade Moss took on Logan Stieber, the top-ranked wrestler at 141. Stieber, the defending national champion, turned Moss to his back and recorded the pin at the 2:51 mark to give the Buckeyes a 10-3 lead. Stieber’s younger brother Hunter took on Zack Beitz, No. 17 at 149. Stieber took two takedowns and a 4-1 lead into the second period. Beitz connected on multiple shots, nearly scoring but ultimately was defeated 7-2. Senior Dylan Alton, No. 8 at 157, met undefeated No. 5 Josh Demas. With the match tied 1-1 after regulation, Alton made a quick move on Demas, recording a thrilling takedown with :10 on the clock for the 3-1 (sv) victory going into the break.

After a ten minute intermission, red-shirt freshman Garrett Hammond met No. 6 Bo Jordan at 165. Hammond dropped a hard-fought decision 10-6 to Jordan, who is undefeated in his collegiate career. The decision expanded the Ohio State lead 16-6. Senior Matt Brown got the Lions back on track with a second-period pin, pulling Penn State within four, 16-12. At 184, No. 16 Matt McCutcheon took on Harrisburg product No. 11 Kenny Courts. Any momentum gained by Brown’s pin was thwarted by Courts’ 4-2 decision.

In one of the match’s most hotly contested bouts, Penn State’s Morgan McIntosh, No. 4 at 197, faced off against No. 7 Kyle Snyder. With Snyder leading 3-0 after two, McIntosh chose down to begin the final period. Snyder was able to score a takedown and clinch a point from riding time on his way to a 6-1 victory. The decision put the Buckeyes up 22-12 and clinched the Ohio State victory. With the match already out of reach, Jimmy Lawson, No. 6 at 285, met No. 10 Nick Tavanello. The redshirt sophomore Buckeye chose down to start the final period, trailing 0-1. Tavanello swiftly escaped to tie the bout, but was taken down by Lawson with one second left. The decision produced a respectable, but ultimately disappointing 15-22 final score.

Man of the Match

Matt Brown. The senior’s fall was his second of the weekend and the 28th of his career, tying him for 14th all-time at Penn State.

Post of the Match

The Magic Man himself was on the call today with Jeff Byers, the voice of Penn State Wrestling. David Taylor was a two-time NCAA Champion and four-time NCAA finalist during his time in Happy Valley.

I’ll be joining Jeff Byers, wrestlings best announcer in the game during the Penn State Ohio State dual today! #weare

A photo posted by David Taylor (@magicman_psu) on Jan 11, 2015 at 11:10am PST

The BTN crew breaks down the Ohio State victory:

VIDEO – Highlights from today’s 22-15 win over Penn State. #GoBucks #WT3 #BTN2Go http://t.co/Xpe7jsLld5

— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) January 12, 2015

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will head on the road to take on No. 25 Rutgers Friday at 7 p.m. Penn State returns to Rec. Hall on Sunday, January 18th at 1 p.m. when the team takes on Purdue.

Photo: Jay LaPrete/ Ohio State Buckeyes