LINCOLN — Jordan Burroughs entered his senior season with his sights set on another national title.

That goal will have to wait a year after a knee injury Saturday abruptly ended the star Nebraska wrestler’s season.

The defending national champion at 157 pounds suffered a torn MCL and PCL in his left knee during NU’s home dual with Central Michigan and will undergo surgery next month.

His injury came in the first minute of his match with 13th-ranked Steve Brown. The two got tangled after Burroughs countered an attack, causing Burroughs’ knee to bend awkwardly.

He wrestled through the injury and lost to Brown 3-2 in overtime.

“I knew it was pretty serious because of how Jordan reacted, but he wanted to continue the match and I allowed him to,” NU coach Mark Manning said. “I could tell that he was rough on that one leg, and I probably should have pulled him from the match.”

The loss was Burroughs’ first at 157 pounds and broke his 44-match win streak, and the Huskers fell to the sixth-ranked Chippewas 29-6.
Manning said he’s confident Burroughs will receive a medical redshirt for the injury, since he didn’t compete in more than 30 percent of NU’s schedule this year.

“We’re going to have a national champion back on our team next year with a year of eligibility, so it all works out,” Manning said.
“There’s a reason why things happen, and we’re just going with it.”

Burroughs is expected to complete his rehabilitation and resume his training by May.

“He’s motivated no matter what, so I don’t think this is going to give him any added incentive,” Manning said. “He’s a competitor and he’ll be ready to go.”

Burroughs entered the dual with a 7-0 record, but the knee injury was just one more setback in a difficult month for the two-time All-American.

He lost two teeth and damaged several more in his first-round match at the Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 4, and his grandfather died nearly a week ago.

As a junior, the wrestler from Sicklerville, N.J., went 35-0 and topped undefeated No. 2 seed Michael Poeta of Illinois 5-1 to win the national championship. He was the first undefeated national champion in NU history.

Manning said two young wrestlers will compete to replace Burroughs in NU’s lineup when they return to the practice mat Sunday.
Tyler Koehn, a redshirt freshman from Pittsburg, Kan., with a 13-6 record, could cut down from 165 pounds to take Burroughs’ place, or Manning could pull true freshman Cody Compton’s redshirt.

Compton, from Bonne Terre, Mo., is the younger brother of Nebraska linebacker Will Compton and is 6-3 this season.

“I’ve talked to them both and they know what’s ahead,” Manning said. “Hopefully one of them accepts the challenge.”

Contact the writer:

444-1201, sports@owh.com

« Sports - Big Red Today

Share