A battle brewing

Penn State's Musser and Minnesota's Kraft prepare for 150-pound collision

By J.P. GRAMLICH
Collegian Sports Writer

Clint Musser has been wrestling fairly well the past couple of months.

Musser, Penn State's 150-pounder, has 14 straight victories under his belt, including four against nationally ranked opponents.

That's pretty good.

Musser was the only Nittany Lion to go undefeated at the National Duals at Iowa Jan. 17-18, breezing to a perfect 5-0 record against the rock-solid field.

Very impressive.

Musser traveled to West Virginia last Friday, ignored the taunts of the home fans and beat the Mountaineers' No. 4 Mike Mason for the second time in two weeks.

Neat.

Musser hasn't lost since Nov. 29 of this season, has upped his record to a near-pristine 21-2 and is currently ranked No. 3 in the country. And come Friday, nobody will care.

What?

No. 3 Minnesota and the nation's premier 150-pounder, top-ranked Chad Kraft, stroll into The Bryce Jordan Center on Friday for a dual meet with No. 4 Penn State.

And while the meet is sure to attract a lot of attention at every weight, all eyes will be on the mat by the time its marquee bout rolls around -- the 150-pound battle between the perfect Gopher and the upstart Lion.

"I'm anxious to see that match," Penn State coach John Fritz said. "Clint's been wrestling real motivated and Kraft's ranked No. 1, so it'll be a neat challenge."

The challenge, of course, will be aimed in Musser's direction.

Musser, a redshirt junior from Akron, Ohio, said he knows what kind of an opponent is in store for him Friday at the center.

"Chad Kraft's an excellent wrestler," Musser said. "He's definitely someone I'm shooting for and looking forward to wrestling. He's ranked No. 1, and I think he deserves it. It's going to be a huge challenge."

Kraft, a redshirt junior from Lakefield, Minn., is 14-0 on the year while wrestling at both 150 and 158 pounds. He missed the early stages of the season with a knee injury but is back at 100 percent now.

Kraft, who is 3-0 lifetime against Musser in various high school and collegiate freestyle tournaments, said he holds his Penn State counterpart in high esteem.

But that doesn't mean he's going to lose to him.

"This will be the highest-ranked opponent I've faced so far," Kraft said. "I've wrestled him a few times so I know him somewhat. He's a having a great year. But by no means am I going out there to lose. I'm going to be ready to go out there and get another win."

Kraft has his teammates' votes of confidence.

Jason Davids, the nation's No. 3 142-pounder, said he wrestled Musser in the past and knows Kraft can come away victorious. He pointed to Kraft's unbeatable work ethic as evidence.

"He's a workaholic," Davids, a fifth-year senior, said. "He's a man who just works hard every single day in practice. In my mind, there's no way Musser can beat Kraft."

Musser, however, isn't counting out an upset.

He said the National Wrestling Coaches Association rankings which rate him No. 3 and Kraft No. 1 might even work to his benefit against the Minnesota star.

"The way I look at it, he's the one that's got all the pressure on him. He's No. 1," Musser said. "He's the one with something to lose, not me, so I'll take advantage of whatever I can get."

Musser said his bout will likely be a microcosm of the dual meet's end result.

In order for Penn State to beat the Gophers, Musser said, he and other Lions have to step up their games.

"Guys are going to have to step up big for this match," Musser said. "It's going to come down to whoever sucks it up and wins the big matches. I definitely feel that I'm in one of those big matches. I feel that for us to win the dual meet, I have to win my match."

Enough said.