Penn State wrestling notes: Why was Bernie Truax out Sunday? Cael Sanderson talks Indiana win and more

Penn State wrestling throttled Indiana 46-0 on Sunday at Rec Hall. Head coach Cael Sanderson’s side won all 10 matches, secured bonus points in nine of them, and had a ridiculous 35-0 takedown advantage to improve to 4-0 with Big Ten competition now officially underway.

“We matched up pretty well with them,” Sanderson said after the victory, which was the 48th consecutive dual meet triumph for the Nittany Lions.

“I think the matches are a little tougher than maybe the score indicated. But yeah, we just want our guys to just try to keep getting better and focusing on improvement over trying to win and lose obviously. And, I think we’re seeing that. Some of our freshmen and younger guys are opening up. The plan is just keep getting better throughout their career. I thought the guys wrestled well today. It was a good match.”

Sanderson will speak again on Tuesday as the Lions prepare for a road trip to take on Michigan Friday and Michigan State on Sunday. Before that, we have our final thoughts from Sunday.

Are Davis and Kasak locked into starting roles?

Penn State true freshmen Braedan Davis and Tyler Kasak are both two-for-two in dual meets this season. The former, a four-time Michigan State champ, has wrestled five college matches so far this season that count toward using a year of eligibility. So, taking the mat at least once this coming weekend would put him over the limit. Sanderson said, seemingly tongue in cheek, that the staff would have to have “difficult discussions” about the plan for Davis moving forward. All signs, however, point to him being the man at 125 pounds. He has earned the spot.

As for Kasak, the same can be said for him at 149 pounds after the Pa., native and former prep star picked up two top 15 wins in as many weeks to start the new year in style.

“I think Tyler is figuring things out,” Sanderson said. “And when you’re a first-year guy, there’s a lot of different things you’re figuring out. You’re figuring out better ways to manage your weight, and just to prepare for the matches. And, taking care of yourself, getting good sleep and those kinds of things. When you’re a college kid, that’s not always the easiest thing to do, especially living in the dorms across the street [from Rec Hall].

“So I think they’re figuring those things out slowly and they’re competitors and they believe in themselves. They believe that they’re going to win. That’s the number one most important thing.”

Where was Bernie Truax on Saturday?

Eyebrows were raised when freshman Josh Barr, not multi-time All-American Bernie Truax, weighed in for Penn State at 184 pounds Sunday. However, program radio broadcaster Jeff Byers said the first-year Nittany Lion is dealing with an illness that kept him out of the lineup. It is not expected to do so long-term. In his place, Barr looked the part. He beat Hoosier Roman Rogotzke by major decision, 13-4.

“I think he’ll be a future national champ, a multiple-time national champ, for sure,” Nittany Lion 174-pound starter Carter Starocci said of Barr, per PennLive. “He’s one of those kids, like you just gotta kill ‘em, because he just keeps coming after you non-stop. When I wrestle someone for the first time, I like to see their breaking point and he just never stopped. I’m like, ‘all right, dude, we gotta be done here soon.’”