Wrestling to tangle with Tigers

When the Cornhuskers take the mat against Missouri on Saturday, it might seem like they're looking in a mirror.

Like Nebraska, the Tigers boast most of their strength in the heavier weight classes. But the resemblance goes further than that.

Both teams will have wrestlers ranked in the top-10 competing at 157, 165, 174 and 197 pounds. Both teams will also bring very formidable wrestlers at 184 pounds and heavyweight.

But two matches will be about more than simple wins and losses.

Juniors Stephen Dwyer and Craig Brester will be facing familiar foes in MU's Nick Marable and Max Askren. The pairs have wrestled each other a total of seven times.

Brester lost both his regular season and Big 12 Championship matches against Askren the past two seasons.

But in the NCAA Tournament last March, Brester was able to avenge those losses.

"I guess he wins the serious (matches)," Brester said. "But I got him when it counted in the big time. We know what each other are going to do, and it's just whoever comes out and executes."

But Brester isn't the only one who has a score to settle. Dwyer will be looking for vengeance against Marable, who won both the regular season and conference championship matches a season ago.

"I think (Dwyer and Brester) know what they need to do," NU Coach Mark Manning said. "They're going to go out there and go to battle. I'd rather have those two guys than any other guys."

The two Huskers have been key to Nebraska's 12-2-1 record. But Saturday's final may come down to the less-anticipated matches, such as those involving Andy Pokorny, Matt Vacanti and Robert Sanders.

"We've been trying to get some of those guys going," Manning said. "I think it's going to be a team effort this weekend."

Also factoring into the Huskers' success has been redshirt freshman Tucker Lane, whose first season as a starter has put him in some pressure situations. In January's national duals, Lane found himself as the deciding victory for the Huskers twice.

MU senior Mark Ellis is ranked No. 1 at heavyweight and owns a 22-1 record. But redshirt freshman Dominique Bradley was able to step in for the junior on the road and get a victory of his own against No. 13 Zach Hammond, sealing the win over then-No. 2 ranked Cornell on Sunday.

Manning said he knows the dual will be a challenge, but that is something he thinks his team needs and anticipates.

"It's a great challenge for us," Manning said. "But shoot, we're looking forward to it. We're going to come to wrestle hard."

davehoufek@dailynebraskan.com