Before Penn State-Iowa Wrestling Showdown, a Hawkeye Says, 'Book It'
Iowa had just wrapped a win over Ohio State last Saturday, prompting Hawkeyes wrestler Gabe Arnold to look ahead. And deliver a promise that quickly made it way to the Penn State wrestling program.
"I'm going to end this [press conference] off on this," Arnold told reporters in Iowa City. "We've got Penn State next week and we didn’t get the job done last year and that kinda sucks. But we’re gonna get it done this year. So this time we'll be in your home dojo, and I promise, your head's mine."
Arnold then pounded the table. "Book it," he concluded.
With that, the most anticipated college wrestling match of the season began. The No. 1 Nittany Lions, who have won 65 consecutive dual matches, host No. 2 Iowa on Friday night in a fascinating Big Ten duel of talent and personalities. Both teams are 9-0, and the match is scheduled for a Big Ten Network broadcast at 7 p.m. ET.
Penn State has not lost a dual match in five years, recently extending its streak to 65 with a 35-3 win over Rutgers. In fact, Friday will mark the fifth anniversary of the Nittany Lions' last loss, which was to Iowa. The then-No. 1 Hawkeyes won three of the last four bouts for a 19-17 victory over Penn State on Jan. 31, 2020. That loss was Penn State's first in the Big Ten since 2015. Iowa is the only Big Ten team to beat Penn State in a dual match in the past 10 seasons.
Since that 2020 match, Penn State has won three straight Big Ten matches over the Hawkeyes (the 2021 match was postponed). Last year, the Nittany Lions routed Iowa 29-6 at a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena, prompting Iowa coach Tom Brands to praise Penn State's program as "not normal."
“They have a high-powered team,” Brands told reporters in Iowa City in 2024. “They score a lot of points, and you have to be ready, like, beyond ready. And if you just think you're ready, and you think it's normal, it's not normal. It's not a normal team, and that's not me putting them on a pedestal. That's not me conceding anything. We have to be better when we go out there. We have to be more ready when we go out there.”
That led a year later to Arnold's comments, which he made after the Hawkeyes' 24-13 win over No. 4 Ohio State last Saturday. The comments became more interesting because Arnold (11-1) wrestles at 184 pounds, the same weight as Penn State's four-time NCAA champion Carter Starocci. Asked about Arnold's comments, Starocci responded subtlely.
"He’s their starter? I thought the other guy was their starter," Starocci told reporters in State College, ostensibly referring to freshman Angelo Ferrari. "Didn’t the other guy win the tournament? I think the gameplan is for the other guy. I think the other guy is a better wrestler, but maybe [Arnold] is trying to sell tickets. But I think our crowd comes out every single time, so there's nothing to sell. So I'll be there Friday night ready to go."
The tournament to which Starocci referred was the Soldier Salute in December, when Ferrari and Arnold were scheduled to wrestle. They didn't, as Arnold took a medical forfeit in their bout. Now, Arnold is ranked No. 5 at 184, according to InterMat, and Ferrari is redshirting.
It's a juicy subplot to a match that has many others. Penn State returns three NCAA champs and an entire starting lineup ranked in InterMat's top 10. Iowa has seven top-10 wrestlers, including No. 1 Jacori Teemer (157) and Stephen Buchanan (197).
As for the pregame activities, Penn State coach Cael Sanderson had a thought.
"I blame Fortnite," Sanderson said, referring to the video game. "That’s just because when people shoot me, they talk trash and dance. … It’s all part of the game. It’s just another aspect. You can engage in it or not. It doesn’t really matter. It’s up to you. To each their own. For us, we just enjoy wrestling and competing. The bigger the match, the better we’re gonna be."
More Penn State Wrestling
Penn State routs Rutgers for 65th consecutive win
Penn State dominates first NCAA Coaches Rankings of 2025
Could college wrestling's National Duals Invitational go on without Penn State?
Cael Sanderson says Penn State looked "a little tired" vs. Nebraska