Dec. 19, 2010
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The 15th-ranked Purdue wrestling team suffered its first loss of the season Sunday afternoon, dropping a 26-15 contest to ninth-ranked Big Ten rival Illinois at Huff Hall. The Boilermakers managed to win four of the 10 matches on the day, falling to 3-1-1 overall and 0-1 in conference duals, while Illinois improved to 2-0 (1-0 Big Ten).
The turning point of the match came at the top of the lineup as the Fighting Illini scored pins at 184 and 285 pounds to make the difference. Fifteenth-ranked Illinois freshman Tony Dallago had the big upset of the day, capitalizing on an early mistake to score a 2:59 pin of 12th-ranked Purdue junior A.J. Kissel, while Illinois sophomore heavyweight was awarded a controversial 5:33 pin against Boilermaker senior Roger Vukobratovich. Kissel had a 2-0 lead on Dallago and was working for a turn, but got a little too aggressive and allowed Dallago to secure a headlock-of-sorts and went to his back. Kissel nearly escaped the maneuver with the clock ticking towards the end of the period, but the official called the fall with one second left on the clock. Vukobratovich was caught in a body lock 30 seconds into the last period and quickly after giving up the takedown the official called the fall despite the appearance that Vukobratovich's right shoulder was more than six inches off the mat.
The Boilermakers' wins came at 157, 174, 197 and 125 pounds, secured by seniors Colton Salazar, Luke Manuel and Logan Brown, and freshman Camden Eppert. Salazar gave Purdue an early lead as his 14-6 major decision over Illinois sophomore Kyle Dooley made it 4-3 Boilermakers after two matches. Salazar nearly tacked on six points early in the match, catching Dooley in a cradle, but settled for a four-point play en route to the win. Salazar's four takedowns in the match moved his career total to 193, surpassing Jason Silverstein for No. 20 all-time at Purdue.
After another Illinois win at 165, Manuel regained the one-point Purdue advantage with a 3-1 win over eighth-ranked Jordan Blanton at 174 pounds. The 14th-ranked Boilermaker senior entered the bout with a 2-1 record against Blanton, despite being six spots lower than him in the poll, and moved to 3-1 all-time in the series. Blanton took a 1-0 lead with a quick escape after a scoreless first, but Manuel notched the bout's lone takedown halfway through the second period as he followed up an elbow pass and secured a single-leg score. Manuel scored with an escape to start the third period and displayed solid defense down the stretch in the win.
After the upset at 184, Brown responded with an 11-2 major decision over senior Joe Barzcak at 197 pounds, racking up four takedowns to push his career total to 295. Brown remains two takedowns shy of surpassing Eric Douglas for sixth all-time at Purdue and five takedowns away from becoming just the sixth wrestler in school history to have more than 300 in his career.
Walker's pin at 285 pounds nearly put the match out of reach, and Eppert reeled the count back as the meet returned to the bottom of the lineup. The Boilermaker rookie turned out five takedowns and his team-best seventh reversal of the season as he ran away from Illinois freshman Logan Arlis by major decision, 13-4, to make it 18-15 Illinois.
However, the Fighting Illini rounded out the contest in dominant fashion with major decisions from fifth-ranked 133-pounder B.J. Futrell and No. 3 141 pounder Jimmy Kennedy.
The Boilermaker return to action on Dec. 29, sending just six wrestlers to the Midlands Championships, hosted by Northwestern University.
Results
149- Eric Terrazas (Illinois) DEC Patacsil, Sam (Purdue University) 12-6
157- Salazar, Colton (Purdue University) MD Kyle Dooley (Illinois) 14-6
165- Conrad Polz (Illinois) DEC Mosier, Kyle (Purdue University) 7-2
174- Manuel, Luke (Purdue University) DEC Jordan Blanton (Illinois) 3-1
184- Tony Dallago (Illinois) FALL Kissel, A.J. (Purdue University) 2:59
197- Brown, Logan (Purdue University) MD Joseph Barczak (Illinois) 11-2
285- Patrick Walker (Illinois) FALL Vukobratovich, Roger (Purdue University) 5:33
125- Eppert, Camden (Purdue University) MD Logan Arlis (Illinois) 13-4
133- Bernard Futrell (Illinois) MD Fleckenstein, Jake (Purdue University) 14-4
141- James Kennedy (Illinois) MD Eren, Akif (Purdue University) 16-7