The message could not have been clearer. After a 24-10 loss to No. 3 Hofstra last weekend, the No. 8 Penn State wrestling team knew it had to be coming.

Penn State coach Troy Sunderland and the coaching staff decided that the best way to show their disappointment was through practice and words.

"We sent a message that the way we wrestled at Hofstra was unacceptable," Sunderland said. "We needed to have a renewed commitment to make the changes in the room, make the adjustments."

The Nittany Lions (4-1) will get their first chance to bounce back against local rival Lock Haven at Rec Hall tonight at 7. Penn State holds a 28-4 series edge, but the Bald Eagles bring two ranked wrestlers to provide some interesting matches.

No. 3 Mark McKnight will take on Lock Haven's No. 6 Obe Blanc in the 125-pound bout. With a 10-0 record, McKnight is one of two Lions who are still undefeated on the season.

The other ranked Bald Eagles wrestler is No. 16 Seth Martin at the 157-pound weight class. He will face a familiar opponent in senior Nathan Galloway, who has had his share of troubles this season. Galloway recovered from a bad start at Wrestle-Offs, accumulating a 14-4 record before his 0-2 performance last weekend. Galloway has met Martin several times, and is confident in his abilities to get his season back on track.

"Going into this weekend, I need to still remember last weekend, and remember that I got beat," Galloway said. "But at the same time, I need to have that confidence that nobody can beat me, and forget about the losses and move on. It's going to be a hard seven minutes, and I expect to win and nothing else."

A win against Lock Haven and a strong performance after Hofstra would be the best way for the Lions to head into winter break. Sunderland plans to have the wrestlers come back to train at the end of December to prepare for their battle at No. 13 Cornell and the Virginia Duals in January.

"The main thing is they gotta keep the discipline with the things we've been working on with their style and their diet over break," Sunderland said. "Cornell is going to be another big test, and the Virginia Duals. They've got to stay committed to minimizing the mistakes and that's the only way we'll be successful at the end of the year."

The Virginia Duals will mark the last competition before Big Ten action begins on Jan. 19 at No. 19 Wisconsin. Ten Big Ten teams are ranked in the top 25. There isn't a big weakness in the conference, so the Lions will have to regain their momentum with the three competitions before conference play. The loss at Hofstra may have been just what this team needed.

"[Hofstra] was definitely a humbling experience," Galloway said. "We realized that we're a good team, but we're not going to be the best team in the country if we make little mistakes. I think what it did most was refocus a lot of us, and we're really working hard to get some mistakes down pat and being national champions at the end of the year."