NU wrestler 'unbeatable' on the mat

It's an image so many teams have witnessed, and just as many opponents have felt this season. It's Jordan Burroughs' signature move:

The double-leg takedown.

The Nebraska junior's speed and strength is what makes it possible, but experience and coaching have made it impeccable.

One moment opponents are on their feet. The next, their ankles are wrapped in Burrough's arms.

Before they know it, he's sprung from the mat, their legs still in hand.

"I don't really want to jinx him," said NU Coach Mark Manning. "But he could be really special."

Depending on his opponent's grappling ability, Burroughs has a decision to make. He can either continue the attack and work for the pin or let his catch go, only to be caught again and again.

The key to Burroughs' 22-0 season so far has been his ownership of that decision against whomever he faces.

For the 157-pounder, the undefeated season has not just been the quest for a national title. It's been a show all the way.

On his way to recording NU's first back-to-back seasons with 10 major-decision victories, the Sicklerville, N.J., native has made it a point to give the fans a show every time he steps out onto the mat.

"Some people say I'm cocky, but I'm just more confident," Burroughs said. "I think you've got to have some confidence going out there; just carry that swagger out there with you.

"I feel unbeatable when I'm out there on the mat, and that translates to a lot of wins and a lot of points."

In a sport where focus is so crucial, Burroughs believes he'll win every match he enters.

It hasn't always been like that for Burroughs, though. While the talent has been part of his arsenal for years, the wit that directs the attacks has come more recently, Manning said.

"I think he has talent, but the talent wasn't technical, it wasn't repetitive," Manning said. "He has more arsenal, more ways he can score. He's a very powerful guy, his speed makes him even more explosive."

While most wrestlers were either taking the summer off or continuing in American competitions, Burroughs was able to take his skills to a worldwide stage.

After qualifying for the FILA Junior World Championships, Burroughs got a taste for the way different countries wrestled. One of the things that surprised him was that the wrestlers he faced were happy with low-scoring victories. 

"When you wrestle, the junior world championships is probably the second toughest tournament in the world," Manning said. "I think it really opened his eyes up to a whole new level of talent.

"He lost a close one, otherwise he might have been junior world champion. What that told him is that he needs to be physical the whole time, and if he wrestles that way, there's not a guy in the country that can go with him for seven minutes."

His defensive style and the international shortened period rules were things Manning said exposed Burroughs in a way that he would have never realized on his own.

Manning said Burroughs used to be a slow starter, but after seeing how effective he could be when he was forced to attack from whistle to whistle, the adjustments explained themselves.

Putting that added summer training to work, Burroughs has taken home Outstanding Wrestler honors twice this season - at the Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha, and at the Las Vegas Invitational. 

Those added to the two he won last year as a sophomore have him taking lighthearted heat form his teammates like 197-pound Craig Brester. "I'll give him all the glamour and glory as long as we get a win," Brester said, chuckling. "I've got to get one (most outstanding wrestler award) in. If I get one at one of these last two tournaments it'll quiet him down a little bit.

"That's one thing that I really like when I watch him; it's going to happen. He just makes it happen."

davehoufek@dailynebraskan.com