Bolinsky admitted his first bout, in front of 3,842 fans, caused a little anxiety.

"It was the first time being back in almost three years," he said. "I guess it's just natural. You just work through it."

Work through it he did.

The 290-pound sophomore's return came against Buckeye heavyweight Eric Wood in the fourth bout of Penn State's 23-12 win against Ohio State Saturday. Behind a loud and supportive crowd, Bolinsky battled Wood for three periods and overtime before nailing a reversal in double overtime to notch a 3-1 win.

Despite wrestling for more than nine minutes in his first competitive bout since high school, Bolinsky said his stamina wasn't a factor.

"I felt pretty good for the time I've had on the mat," he said. "I've only been on the mat a week, so I felt … I was tired, but I was working hard."

Bolinsky's encore didn't go quite as well.

Squaring off against Iowa's No. 3 Wes Hand, Bolinsky trailed 4-2 when he was caught and pinned by his Hawkeye nemesis with just one second remaining in the first period. Bolinsky's loss was the final bout of Iowa's 30-9 drubbing of the Lions.

Even after the up-and-down weekend, Bolinsky's teammates and coaches were impressed with his showing.

"Rick's big and strong," said coaching assistant and former Lion heavyweight Kerry McCoy. "He won (Saturday) … that's the important thing. Give him credit -- he kept his composure and won."

Bolisnky, not even listed on Penn State's preseason wrestling roster, said his return to the mat came only after permission was granted by Penn State football coach Joe Paterno.

"He just asked me if my grades were good, and he pretty much let me," he said.

Despite smelling success on the mat, Bolinsky said he has no plans to hang up his football cleats just yet.

"Not while they're paying for my education," he said.