Missouri wrestling to face Nebraska in conference opener

The Missouri Tigers' wrestling squad will take on Nebraska in the first conference dual of the season Sunday. The Tigers are 14-5 in dual meets this year and are ranked No. 7 in the nation, the second highest school in the Big 12.
The young Tiger squad has been through its toughest schedule to date. Missouri scheduled a number of non-conference foes that ended up being much better than expected.
“The schedule this year for us was really unexpected,” coach Brian Smith said. “We were told a few of the programs we scheduled this year were down, but all of our opponents came out strong.”
Squads like Hofstra, American and Lehigh were some of the dark horses in Missouri’s schedule. In the week’s latest rankings, Lehigh held the 12 spot, American 19 and Hofstra was just a few votes shy of making the Top 25.
“After surviving a non-conference schedule like that and still maintaining a number seven ranking,” coach Smith said. “I’m one hundred percent confident in our squad going into this Big 12 season.”
Missouri wrestling has been focusing on the finer things in practice lately. Conditioning, setting up takedowns and keeping opponents down are the main focus of practice as a team.
“As a team we try to focus on broader concepts,” Smith said. “In such an individual sport, you really have to tailor the training to the guy you’re working with.”
Smith also said the word of the day was “uncomfortable.”
“We want to get ourselves into situations in practice where it’s uncomfortable for our bodies to be there,” he said. “This way we can teach the guys how to maneuver out of them not only in a way that makes them more comfortable but won’t put them in a more compromising position.”
Freshman standout Alan Waters said that practice has been focused on mechanics more than anything.
“Coach is drilling us on getting bonus points for the team,” Waters said. “If you have the win, work on scoring some more points for the team so we can win the meet overall.”
Even though they cannot compete in the duals, even a few of Missouri’s redshirts have noticed the change in pace of practice.
“Practices are a lot more intense now,” redshirt freshman Phillip Perry said. “We’re working on hand fighting to get ourselves in position. Really it’s just a lot of technical stuff.”
The marquee matchup in this contest will be Missouri’s Zach Toal, a redshirt freshman, versus Nebraska’s Jordan Burroughs who is a senior. Burroughs is No. 1 in the nation at 165 pounds, where Toal is No. 11.
“Zach did not begin the year as a starter but has worked his way into that spot,” Smith said. “He has earned his way into the lineup through hard work and dedication to getting better.”
Another intriguing matchup is between one of Missouri’s best in junior Dom Bradley and junior Tucker Lane of Nebraska. Bradley is the No. 9 heavyweight in the country, and Lane comes in at No. 11.
Smith said that his squad is self-motivated and they don’t need much encouragement. They just get the job done.
“I don’t really do the whole big motivational speech thing before a big meet,” he said. “With this sport, you give them the tools to win, and the tools to believe they can win.”
Missouri wrestling is a program that can sustain itself on and off the mat. This weekend’s meet is part of the “Wrestling Supporting Wrestling” program. All proceeds from ticket sales go toward the Missouri Wrestling Scholarship Fund. Tickets are $5 and the action is slated to begin at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Hearnes Center.