Coming into the season, it was hard to believe the NU wrestling team would fare better without the graduated Jordan Burroughs, a two-time national champion.
But a month and a half into the campaign, that's exactly what the Huskers have done. The team posted victories Thursday over Boise State and Arizona State at the ASU Duals to push its record to 9-0, matching the best start in school history.
The Huskers beat Boise State 34-3 in their first dual before blanking host Arizona State 42-0, their first shutout since 2008 when they beat Augustana (S.D.) 50-0.
Nebraska won 19 of the possible 20 matches between the two duals. The Huskers recorded a total of 11 bonus-point victories, including seven major decisions and three pins.
Senior heavyweight Tucker Lane led the charge, besting Boise State's J.T. Felix and the Sun Devils' Levi Cooper, the Nos. 10 and 11 wrestlers in the weight class, respectively. Lane brushed aside Felix 6-2 in his first match before defeating Cooper, an All-American last year, 2-1 in overtime.
Senior 197-pounder James Naskashima got the Huskers off to a strong start, leading off both duals with victories. He had a major decision win over Derek Toney of Boise State and a 5-3 win over Arizona State's Tommy Burriel.
Josh Inhen then finished off each of the duals with a win at 184. He won by medical forfeit over Boise State's Jake Schwartz before topping Kevin Radford of Arizona State 10-3.
The Huskers return to the mat Jan. 6 for their Big Ten home opener against Ohio State.
• NU 34, BSU 3: 197 pounds: James Nakashima, NU, by major dec. Derek Toney, 10-2. Hwt: Tucker Lane, NU, dec. J.T. Felix, 6-2. 125: Isaac Romero, BSU, dec. Shawn Nagel, 5-1. 133: Ridge Kiley, NU, dec. Shawn Jones, BSU, 6-2. 141: Jake Sueflohn, NU, major dec. John Strait, BSU, 14-3. 149: Brandon Wilbourn, NU, dec. Steve Hernandez, BSU, 7-4. 157: James Green, NU, major dec. George Ivanov, BSU, 12-1. 165: Robert Kokesh, NU, major dec. Michael Cuthbertson, BSU 9-1. 174: Tyler Koehn, NU, dec. Scott Bacon, BSU, 11-5. 184: Josh Ihnen, NU medical forfeit Jake Swartz, BSU.
• NU 42, ASU 0: 197 pounds: James Nakashima, NU, dec. Tommy Burriel, ASU, 5-3. Hwt: Tucker Lane, NU, dec. Levi Cooper, ASU, 2-1. 125: Shawn Nagel, NU, pin Dalton Miller, ASU, 1:26. 133: Ridge Kiley, NU, dec. Shane McGough, ASU, 6-1. 141: Jake Sueflohn, NU, pin Nathan Hoffer, ASU, 5:29. 149: Brandon Wilbourn, NU, major dec. Kyle McIntosh, ASU, 14-3. 157: James Green, NU, major dec. Victor DeJesus, ASU, 16-5. 165: Robert Kokesh, NU, pin Derek Felton, ASU, 2:16. 174: Caleb Kolb, NU, major dec. Jacob Graham, ASU, 18-6. 184: Josh Ihnen, NU, dec. Kevin Radford, ASU, 10-3.
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