Sooner Comeback Stuns OSU In Bedlam Wrestling

After trailing 15-3 through six matches, the fourth-ranked University of Oklahoma wrestling team scored 13 unanswered dual points to take the Bedlam bout against No. 5 Oklahoma State by a score of 16-15 Sunday afternoon inside McCasland Field House.

OU head coach Mark Cody said that despite the deficit, he still thought his team had a chance to win.

"To tell you the truth, getting upset in two of the lighter weights, I was concerned, but I wasn't feeling like we were completely out of it," Cody said. "But it doesn't matter how I feel. It matters how the guys who are going to run out there and wrestle for us feel."

The win, which occurred in front of a crowd of 3,355 people, marked OU's first over the in-state rival since Dec. 7, 2008. The win also broke Oklahoma State's 17-match Big 12 winning streak.

The Sooners started the dual with a victory as No. 5 Jarrod Patterson took the 125-pound match by decision over No. 14 Eddie Kilmara, 5-0. Patterson recorded a reversal and a takedown in the match and garnered the riding time point with 1:25.

However, Oklahoma State then claimed five straight matches by decision. No. 4 Jon Morrison of OSU topped No. 5 Cody Brewer, 4-2 at 133 pounds. In the next match, freshman Anthony Collica from OSU defeated No. 16 Nick Lester, 5-4.

At 149 pounds, OSU's Josh Kindig, who is ranked 12th, defeated first-ranked Kendric Maple, 4-3. Redshirt junior Justin DeAngelis fell to Alex Dieringer 2-1 at 157, while No. 2 Tyler Caldwell of OSU topped redshirt freshman Clark Glass, 4-1, at 165 pounds.

Then, Sooner Magic took over. OU claimed four matches in a row, including one by major decision, to take the win.

The 174-pound bout featured two NCAA National Champions in No. 1 Andrew Howe and No. 2 Chris Perry of OSU. Howe won by decision, 4-2, after earning a takedown and reversal in the match.

Freshman Danny Chaid took a 7-3 decision over redshirt freshman Kyle Crutchmer. Chaid trailed 3-2 late in the third period but added a takedown and three-point nearfall in the last 25 seconds to win.

"I started putting together that to keep our chances of winning alive, I'd have to win the match to keep that possibility open," Chaid stated. "With about 20 seconds left, obviously not much time is left, I got that sense of urgency I needed to score the takedown immediately."

Claiming the only bonus points of the dual was redshirt senior and No. 5 Travis Rutt, who topped No. 10 Blake Rosholt by a 12-3 decision, giving the Sooners an opportunity to take the dual with a win in the final match.

"I knew coming in to the dual, it would come down to bonus points," Rutt said. "I guess I never really expected it to be in my match. Before the match, I knew if everyone had won like I had expected them to, it would be tied, so something needed to happen."

With a Bedlam victory on the line, redshirt freshman and 15th-ranked Ross Larson took to the mat against No. 11 Austin Marsden. Larson recorded one takedown and an escape to Marsden's two escapes to take the match 3-2 and seal the OU victory.

"I was ready to go," Larson said of his bout. "Travis getting the major decision, I knew if I got the win, we were going to win the dual. I wasn't nervous at all. I just carried the momentum into my match."

Despite the win, the Sooners still trail the all-time series, 132-27-10.

Next up, the Sooners travel to Las Vegas, Nev., to compete in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 6 and 7. The second Bedlam dual is slated for 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9, in Stillwater, Okla.

Final Score

Oklahoma: 16

Oklahoma State: 15

125: Jarrod Patterson (OU) dec. Eddie Kilmara (OSU), 5-0

133: Jon Morrison (OSU) dec. Cody Brewer (OU), 8-2

141: Anthony Collica (OSU) dec. Nick Lester (OU), 8-7

149: Josh Kindig (OSU) dec. Kendric Maple (OU), 4-3

157: Alex Dieringer (OSU) dec. Justin DeAngelis (OU), 11-5

165: Tyler Caldwell (OSU) dec. Clark Glass (OU), 10-4

174: Andrew Howe (OU) dec. Chris Perry (OSU), 4-2

184: Danny Chaid (OU) dec. Kyle Crutchmer (OSU), 7-3

197: Travis Rutt (OU) maj. dec. Blake Rosholt (OSU), 12-3

HWT: Ross Larson (OU) dec. Austin Marsden (OSU), 3-2