OSU’s win against No. 8 Missouri highlights development

Since the preseason, John Smith had been keen on development.

In the early stages, it was apparent the Cowboys were nowhere near a national championship — or even conference championship — contention caliber roster. A loss to lower-ranked Minnesota at home, along with narrow duals with unranked teams like in Oklahoma, Oregon State and Columbia pinpointed it.

Nearly one month later, No. 11 OSU earned its eighth win in the past nine duals in a 17-16 victory via criteria over No. 8 Missouri. It also marked the Cowboys’ second consecutive top 10 victory, after a 24-15 win over No. 6 Michigan in Friday’s Bout at the Ballpark.

So, taking all logistics into consideration, where is OSU in terms of overall team progression and development at this point in the season, as opposed to less than a month ago when it was churning out wins with the skin of its teeth to unranked foes? Are the Cowboys finally turning the corner and meshing into a national contender?

“I definitely think so,” OSU fan, Richard White said. “What a win for these guys. Not too long ago (OSU) had its highest ranked (wrestlers) losing to unranked guys and now (OSU) has beaten back-to-back top 10 teams.”

Throughout the season, Smith has found various things to gripe and stress about – and rightfully so. Whether it be his wrestlers’ inability to escape the bottom position, not finishing feasible single-leg takedowns, settling for low-scoring victories-by-decision as opposed to a bonus-point win, or other compiling issues, Smith has voiced his frustration on many different occasions.

After Sunday’s win over Missouri, he stated the exact polar opposite.

“The only two matches that were really separated was 165 and 133,” Smith said. “The rest of (the matches) were barn burners that came down to the third period and ultimately the end of the match.”

One of the primary reasons, as Smith mentioned numerous times, is the general awareness of his wrestlers.

Luke Surber, OSU’s 197-pounder, attacked No. 1-ranked Rocky Elam, from various positions and took advantage of a lower-leg injury his opponent had missed time as a result of.

Daton Fix, at 133-pounds, wasn’t told he needed to win by 10 or more points in his bout to earn his team a criteria point until midway through the first period. OSU trailed 16-12 heading into his match — the final one of the day.

“It’s just my job,” Fix said. “I think that was a big reason we started at 141 today. If it came down to it, I was at the end and if I needed to get bonus points, then we’d have a chance to get those bonus points. That’s just my job. Going out there and just doing what my team needed me to do.”

Smith voiced his admiration for Fix’s late heroics.

“I’m sure glad we’ve got Daton,” he said.

Carter Young, who started the dual at 141, earned a 4-2 victory against his opponent with a 2:35 advantage in riding time. Two months prior, Young’s recurring struggle was his inability to escape the bottom position, which even led to him being pinned by a lowerranked foe against Columbia earlier in the year. Fast forward, Young has now won his past five bouts – three of which came against ranked opponents.

The development is finally coming into fruition. OSU is displaying far more success than it did when it dropped a dual to Minnesota in front of a home crowd in just its fourth dual of the season. Now it comes down to sustaining and building upon it moving forward.

“We’re taking (good teams) into deep waters and we’re the ones that are surviving,” Fix said. “All of the grinding that we’re doing, it’s finally starting to show. When you work hard, good things happen.”

“We’re just finally starting to put it all together.” sports.ed@ocolly.com