The fifth-ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team heads on the road to take on No. 6 Nebraska in a rematch of a National Duals Invitational showdown.
STILLWATER — The challenging schedule coach David Taylor built for his Oklahoma State wrestling team takes the Cowboys on the road for a top-10 battle.
Fifth-ranked OSU (7-1) will visit sixth-ranked Nebraska (5-2) at 1 p.m. Sunday in Lincoln, broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
The Cowboys rolled over Nebraska 33-6 when the teams met in the third-place match of the National Duals Invitational a month ago in Tulsa. But the Cornhuskers subbed out some starters in that match and OSU took advantage with some bonus-point wins to pull away for the dominating win.
Will it be different this time around?
Seven matches could include wrestlers both ranked in the top 15 of their weight class, with a couple top-six matchups on tap. And each team has the higher ranked wrestler in five matches.
So the result could be a little more contested this time around.
Here’s a look at three intriguing matchups that could impact the final result:
Heavyweight: OSU’s Konner Doucet seeking redemption vs. AJ Ferrari
Once a 197-pound national champion at Oklahoma State before he was kicked off the team in the summer of 2022, AJ Ferrari is now at Nebraska and has moved up to heavyweight, where he is currently ranked fourth.
OSU veteran Konner Doucet sat out last year behind national champion Wyatt Hendrickson, reshaping his body and his wrestling style, rising to No. 7 in the rankings.
Ferrari provided one of Nebraska’s two victories in the dual last month, using a riding time point for a 2-1 victory.
Nebraska has wrestled just two duals since that meeting, and Ferrari sat out both, it seems likely Ferrari will want to be on the mat for this match.
And Ferrari will have the home crowd on his side this time.
But Doucet’s improved athleticism gives him the chance to score more frequently than he did in the past. He nearly had a reversal that could’ve turned the last meeting, so it might take more than two points to beat him this time.
141 pounds: OSU’s Sergio Vega in rematch with Brock Hardy
In one of the bigger surprises of the last meeting, OSU freshman Sergio Vega scored early and often in a 13-2 major decision over Nebraska’s Brock Hardy, last year’s NCAA runner-up.
Vega was ranked No. 20 at the time, but at 7-0, he has surged to No. 2, with Hardy just behind him in third.
Hardy has dominated both of his opponents since the National Duals, and with a past match against Vega to learn from, Hardy could be more prepared to handle the youngster’s attack.
This is another opportunity for Vega to prove his worth as a legit challenger behind two-time national champ Jesse Mendez of Ohio State.
157 pounds: Will OSU’s Landon Robideau get shot at Antrell Taylor?
This was a match where a Nebraska lineup change led to an easy OSU victory.
Nebraska’s Antrell Taylor, the reigning national champion at 157 pounds, was upset by Ohio State’s Brandon Cannon in the National Duals semifinals, and did not take the mat against Oklahoma State’s Landon Robideau.
The Cowboy freshman posted a technical fall against Taylor’s replacement and has climbed to No. 2 in the class with a 7-0 record.
Taylor returned to the lineup when Nebraska faced Brown and Missouri on Dec. 5, winning both matches.
Robideau has rolled through his schedule so far, but has missed out on opportunities against what would be some of his best competition — like Taylor at the Duals and West Virginia’s No. 1 Ty Watters, who did not wrestle in the dual against OSU last weekend.
Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X at @ScottWrightOK. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Konner Doucet vs AJ Ferrari tops key matchups in OSU-Nebraska dual
Category: General Sports
