Penn State Wrestling Defeats Nebraska, Sanderson Discusses Duke-Taylor Match

Nittany Lions win 7 of 10 matches, but Sanderson says they didn't wrestle their cleanest dual of the season

Jan. 31, 2026 at 6:15am

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Penn State wrestling defeated Nebraska 26-12 at the Bryce Jordan Center, winning 7 of 10 matches. Head coach Cael Sanderson discussed the team's performance, including freshman PJ Duke's close loss to defending NCAA champion Antrell Taylor at 157 pounds. Sanderson also commented on an unsportsmanlike conduct call against Braeden Davis and the Nittany Lions' strong second-half performance.

Why it matters

Penn State is the top-ranked wrestling team in the country, and this victory over a tough Nebraska squad keeps them on track for another successful season. Sanderson's comments provide insight into the team's mindset and areas they need to improve as they gear up for the postseason.

The details

Penn State won the takedown battle 29-5, but Sanderson said the team didn't wrestle its cleanest dual of the season. He noted that Nebraska used tactics like hand fighting and backing up to slow the Nittany Lions down. Sanderson also discussed the close 2-1 loss by freshman PJ Duke against defending NCAA champion Antrell Taylor at 157 pounds, saying they probably shouldn't have challenged a potential Duke takedown in the first period. After trailing 10-9 at the break, Penn State pulled away in the second half with bonus point wins from Mitchell Mesenbrink, Rocco Welsh, and Josh Barr.

  • Penn State defeated Nebraska on January 31, 2026 at the Bryce Jordan Center.

The players

Cael Sanderson

The head coach of the Penn State wrestling team.

PJ Duke

A Penn State freshman wrestler who lost a close 2-1 decision to defending NCAA champion Antrell Taylor.

Antrell Taylor

The defending NCAA champion at 157 pounds who defeated Penn State's PJ Duke.

Braeden Davis

A Penn State wrestler who received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in his match.

Brock Hardy

The Nebraska wrestler who pinned Braeden Davis and then patted him on the stomach, leading to the unsportsmanlike conduct call.

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What they’re saying

“Lot of good practice tonight I'd say. Lot of tough situations, and having to go get takedowns, so I think it was a great match for us. That's a really good team. Some of those guys are some of the guys you're going to need to beat if you want to be a national champ.”

— Cael Sanderson, Head Coach (on3.com)

“Yeah, that was my call to throw the [challenge] brick. We probably shouldn't have thrown the brick. It was close. Now they give them a little bit of reaction time, where a couple of years ago, there was no reaction time. I didn't see it on the big screen. It was close enough that we threw the brick. Obviously we wish we would have had the brick for later on.”

— Cael Sanderson, Head Coach (on3.com)

“I think it's a great match for him to get. A tough loss. A situation where we have to go get a takedown and just obviously, a tough opponent tactically. He's hard to get to and strong in a lot of positions. PJ's going to be fine. He'll learn from it and keep getting better. And that's the name of the game.”

— Cael Sanderson, Head Coach (on3.com)

“Unfortunate situation.”

— Cael Sanderson, Head Coach (on3.com)

“We love our lineup. We love our guys. We're going to keep getting better and be at our best in the end.”

— Cael Sanderson, Head Coach (on3.com)

What’s next

The Nittany Lions will look to continue their strong season as they prepare for the postseason tournaments.

The takeaway

Despite not wrestling their best, Penn State's depth and talent allowed them to comfortably defeat a tough Nebraska team. Sanderson's comments show the team is focused on improvement and peaking at the right time as they chase another national championship.