The Lions probably didn't like wrestling on Super Bowl Sunday. Whatever the reason, No. 3 Penn State relied exclusively on superior ability to defeat Eastern Wrestling League rivals West Virginia (28-12) and Pitt (26-13).

With the exception of Dave Hart and John Hughes, the Lions looked listless and, at times, sloppy.

"We weren't as sharp today as we were last week," Coach Rich Lorenzo said. "We wrestled hard."

The absence of Shawn Nelson shut down Penn State's (11-0-1) triumvirate (Nelson, Jeff Prescott and Bob Truby) from dominating on this weekend, though 126-pounder Prescott was the team's leading scorer, with 12 points on two defaults.

At 118, Jon Kallen (1-4) had a rough day in Nelson's place, losing twice on decisions. Bob Truby, ranked No. 2 at 134, wrestled aggressively in improving to 14-0.

Hughes, the freshman, continued to impress as he tightens his grasp on the 142-pound slot.

"He went out there to win, not just to wrestle," Prescott said. "I like that. I like watching him wrestle because I wrestle like that."

The nation's No. 2 150-pounder, Troy Sunderland (13-0), didn't look sharp at all. After controlling Tom Onorato in his first match, the junior needed a takedown with 31 seconds left to seal the victory over Pitt's Joe Plouse.

All-American Tim Wittman (9-2) wasn't pleased with his showing against No. 6 Scott Hovan. Wittman, ranked seventh, needed a win. Hovan, however, dominated the 158-pound bout.

"I couldn't get my stuff going right away and by the time I did it was a little too late," Wittman said quietly. "I was reacting to him. I'm disgusted with my performance."

Hart (16-0), however, had no such problems. In his first match, the junior made West Virginia's Dave Onorato pay for his overaggressiveness when he pinned him at the 2:06 mark. After blowing away Sean Gibbs 9-1, it was no surprise that the fourth-ranked 167-pounder won the Ridge Riley Award (outstanding wrestler) for both meets.

"I felt pretty good," he said. "I'm never satisfied with the way I wrestle but a win's a win."

At 177, Mike Kraft (5-4) lost his first match but rebounded for a 3-1 decision over Pitt's Shawn Kennedy. Redshirt sophomore Adam Mariano (6-0-1) looked sloppy at times, despite winning both matches.

Heavyweight Skip Pighetti (6-6) had a horrendous afternoon. A relatively even match with WVU's Charles Davis turned disastrous when a missed shot by Pighetti resulted in a takedown. In what looked like a fluke, Davis scored the pin at the 2:00 mark.

"We told Charles going in to look for the pin," Mountaineer Coach Craig Turnbull said.

In addition to Prescott, Hart scored 10; Truby and Hughes chipped in with seven while Sunderland and Mariano scored six apiece.

Despite the team's lackadaisical effort, no one was looking ahead to Iowa and Iowa State.

"We'll be ready, I hope," Prescott said. "We won. We could have been a little more sharp, but it's time to look ahead."