Bedlam wrestling notebook

Published: February 21, 2008

Oklahoma sophomore 174-pounder Jeff James is out for the season after tearing knee ligaments against Cal Poly last week. James had been excelling recently. He is replaced in the lineup by junior Chris Devilbiss (7-2).

•Better late than never: Oklahoma State senior Jack Jensen (184) didn't begin the season as a starter, but he took over for Cody Hill at the beginning of the second semester. Since then, he's upset Minnesota's Roger Kish and lost by fall to Iowa State's Jake Varner. Jensen, who is unranked at 11-4, will face No. 6-ranked Josh Weitzel tonight.

"My first semester was a struggle for sure,” Jensen said. "Second semester, I had to wrestle Cody a couple of times to get the spot back. It's a journey. It's a grind. You have to come in with a good attitude, use it as a positive. Even in a bad day, pulling a positive out of it is important.”

•Sewing the seeds: Tonight's Bedlam could determine seeding for the Big 12 Tournament on March 8. OSU needs to continue winning based on the strength of Nebraska and Iowa State this season. That will be on the minds of some Cowboy wrestlers as the regular season ends.

"We have an opportunity to (move) forward at several weights,” OSU coach John Smith said. "If you did the seedings at this point, we would be third or possibly fourth points-wise. It's very tight. It can make a difference in seeding at the Big 12.”

•Top of the lineup: The Cowboys have been getting consistent production from their big guys — Clayton Foster (197) and Jared Rosholt (heavyweight). The duo is a combined 48-11. Rosholt is ranked in the top 10 nationally among heavyweights.

"Clayton and Rosholt have been building through their training,” Smith said. "We're seeing a lot better attitude from Jared. He was dragging this time last year mentally, and it all started with his attitude. It's been enjoyable working with him this year and seeing him perform at the level we hoped he would.”

•No predictions, please: Don't ask Smith to predict which weight classes OSU will win in tonight's Bedlam dual. Smith isn't in the predictions game.

"When you think you have a heavy favorite, you pick one that you're going to win and you lose it,” he said. "Chris Pendleton was a lock several years ago. I thought he would win by a major decision, and he lost with a takedown at the end of the match. At 125, 133, 141 and 149, and you can look at any one of them and say we're favored because of rankings. My job is to make sure we win the ones we aren't favored to win.”

By Matt Patterson

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