Mark Manning: Ridge Lovett 'embodies' Nebraska wrestling in upset win vs. Penn State

It was a tough night for No. 6 Nebraska vs. No. 1 Penn State, but a banner night for Ridge Lovett. At 149 pounds, Lovett, who’s ranked No. 4 in the country, knocked off No. 2 Shayne Van Ness.

With a takedown and a turn, Lovett turned what would be a gritty victory into a major decision. It didn’t reflect too much on the team scoreboard (a 31-7 win for the Nittany Lions), but it put Lovett back near the top of the NCAA title favorites.

CLICK HERE to watch Unstoppable on Prime Video — The true story of the indomitable spirit of Anthony Robles

Head coach Mark Manning loved the way Lovett wrestled in this match and that’s how the Huskers should approach every match and every dual.

“Ridge embodies a lot of what we’re about,” Manning said post-match. “I mean, that chip on his shoulder, how he wrestles, people love it. Wrestling is a street fight with rules and, you know, it’s a battle. Ridge is that type of guy … I don’t know what kind of speed he isn’t Jordan Burroughs out there, but he would love to wrestle like Jordan Burroughs, but he wasn’t blessed with that kind of speed … But the grit and the fight that he brings, and, everyone knows he’s really good …

“Like he was mentioning, he’s got to be better and better on his feet. And so that’s, in my mind, that’s a champion, because you got to be good in all three areas, just like a good football team: offense, defense, special teams.” 

Being well-rounded is why Lovett has been so good in his career and why he can make a run at an NCAA title in March.

“And so it’s the same thing in wrestling,” Manning said. “You got to be good on your feet, but you got to be good on top and bottom. And, you know, we have some work to do across the board there. So something really good, and we can really focus on our team getting better in those areas.”

Lovett is now 10-1 this season with his only blemish being a 6-3 sudden victory loss to last year’s national champion Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech). Lovett is 83-20 in his career, is a three-time All-American and was the NCAA runner-up in 2022.

No. 1 Penn State 31, No. 6 Nebraska 7

174: No. 2 Levi Haines (PSU) dec. No. 15 Lenny Pinto 9-2 (NEB 0, PSU 3)
184: No. 1 Carter Starocci (PSU) major dec. No. 7 Silas Allred 11-2 (NEB 0, PSU 7)
197: No. 4 Josh Barr (PSU) tech. fall No. 22 Caden McDanel 19-4 (6:43) (NEB 0, PSU 12)
HWT: No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) tech. fall No. 24 Harley Andrews 20-2 (6:15) (NEB 0, PSU 17)
125: No. 12 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) dec. No. 6 Caleb Smith 4-2 (NEB 0, PSU 20)
133: No. 16 Jacob Van Dee dec. No. 5 Braeden Davis (PSU) 14-7 (NEB 3, PSU 20)
141: No. 3 Beau Bartlett (PSU) dec. No. 6 Brock Hardy 8-7 (NEB 3, PSU 23)
149: No. 4 Ridge Lovett major dec. No. 2 Shayne Van Ness (PSU) 10-2 (NEB 7, PSU 23)
157: No. 3 Tyler Kasak (PSU) dec. No. 5 Antrell Taylor 9-3 (NEB 7, PSU 26)
165: No. 1 Mitchell Messenbrink (PSU) tech. fall No. 7 Bubba Wilson 20-3 (NEB 7, PSU 31)