Throughout the span of a wrestling season there are sure to be ups and downs. And the No. 12 Sun Devils have certainly had their share of both, heading into tonight's matchup against No. 4 Nebraska at Wells Fargo Arena.
In a season that has seen the team defeat the second-ranked team one week, and then fall to an unranked opponent the next, the Sun Devils (7-5, 3-0 Pac-10) get a second shot at a Cornhusker team that embarrassed them on Jan. 10 by a score of 31-(-1). After the encounter, Nebraska (16-1, 1-0 Big Eight) upped their all-time series lead to 8-4-1 over the Sun Devils.
Although ASU dropped a close dual meet at Oklahoma last weekend, the team has reason to remain confident, especially since it was missing three starters.
"I think we did fairly well considering we had five freshman and no seniors wrestling," head coach Thom Ortiz said.
In its recent history, ASU has not been the most gracious of hosts to their visiting opponents. Dating back to last season, the Sun Devils are currently riding a 15-dual-meet winning streak against Pac-10 teams, and have only suffered one setback in their last nine dual meets at Wells Fargo Arena.
Ortiz said that his team has grown since their last meeting with Nebraska, and even though it will again be missing multiple starters from their lineup once again, ASU must do whatever it takes to defend its maroon house.
"Whenever someone comes to your home, you've got to fight harder," Ortiz said.
The Huskers have a bit of a streak themselves, however. Head coach Mark Manning has his team riding an eight-match winning streak, five of which have come against Pac-10 opponents.
The Huskers are led by top-ranked 125-pound senior Jason Powell (15-1,) and fourth-ranked 184-pound junior Travis Pascoe (22-0). The Sun Devils know they will not be able to stumble the way they did against Oklahoma, dropping five matches by major decision or worse.
Notes
ASU 125-pound redshirt freshman Christian Staylor (19-6) has finally appeared in the national polls. Staylor's name appeared for the first time in his career as the No. 9 wrestler by Amateur Wrestling News after his stunning upset over Oklahoma's Sam Hazewinkel.
"[Staylor] wants to be a national champion as a freshman," Ortiz said. "That's a goal he should have and that he is capable of. We'll find out how close he is (today). When [Staylor] wrestles at his best he is a contender for a national title."
Fans may get a NCAA Championship preview during the 197-pound match, as No. 4 sophomore Ryan Bader (21-4) matches up against Nebraska sophomore B.J. Padden.
The 184-pound weight class is still in question for ASU, as senior Nick Frost has been set back another week due to injury. Frost had hoped to return by Sunday's meet against Oregon. Sophomore heavyweight Cain Velasquez will also miss this weekend's action.
Reach the reporter at damien.tippett@asu.edu.
