Penn State 125-pounder Brad Pataky ran to the mat's center to the awaiting referee, who grabbed the redshirt junior's hand and raised it in the air.
Pataky simply had to make an appearance on the mat to solidify his win Friday. No. 6 Zach Sanders of No. 5 Minnesota sat out because of an ankle injury, and the Penn State wrestling team found itself leading at the get-go.
Though the No. 10 Nittany Lions received the maximum amount of points heading into the 133-pound matchup, the lead slipped away as No. 1 Jayson Ness pinned Bryan Pearsall (1:17), and No. 8 Mike Thorn defeated No. 20 141-pounder Adam Lynch by fall (2:18). The losses put the Lions (13-6-1, 5-3) in a hole en route to a 26-16 loss to the Golden Gophers (12-5, 7-1), snapping a four-meet win streak.
In his pregame radio interview, Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said starting the bout at 133 pounds was beneficial because it provided a new look, and heavyweight Cameron Wade didn't think the 125-pound forfeit threw off any of the team's rhythm.
"We were all ready to go," Wade said.
"We didn't wrestle like we needed to. It's a good thing it wasn't the Big Ten tournament."
After pinning two of his last three opponents, Wade let up a takedown with two seconds left against Minnesota's Ben Berhow. Berhow's effort garnered cheers from the Gopher faithful and a 4-2 win over the No. 12 ranked heavyweight.
At 157 pounds, No. 2 Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota won a 4-0 decision over No. 6 Cyler Sanderson. Lion 174-pounder Justin Ortega and 197-pounder Dave Crowell also lost to ranked opponents. No. 8 Scott Glasser defeated Ortega by a 12-3 major decision while No. 13 Sonny Yohn majored Crowell, 14-5.
In his postgame radio interview, Penn State assistant coach Cody Sanderson said the coaching staff needs to strengthen Crowell's confidence. The assistant coach thought Crowell had Sonny Yohn tired but didn't take advantage of the Gopher's fatigue.
"We need these guys to go out there and score," Cody Sanderson said. "If the leg's there, you get it. If you need to pull a leg in, you pull that leg in."
Aside from the forfeit, Lion 149-pounder Frank Molinaro, 165-pounder Dan Vallimont and 184-pounder Dave Erwin combined to tally Penn State's only scores. No. 4 Molinaro defeated No. 16 Mario Mason in a 7-3 decision. No. 7 Vallimont's 10-3 decision over Cody Yohn and No. 10 Erwin's 12-3 major decision over Kaleb Young rounded out the Lion victories.
The Lions will now take a two-week competition break before the Big Ten tournament.
"Most of the physical work is done," Cody Sanderson said. "Right now, we focus on what they do best. We get them feeling as great as they can."
