Bonus points could loom large

University of Iowa Coach Tom Brands confirmed the idea that his Hawkeyes wanted to tally as many bonus points as possible.

The Hawkeyes, ranked fourth by InterMat, were behind in that aspect after the first round of the NCAA Division I Wrestlign Championships Thursday at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Matt McDonough scored a fall at 125 and accounted for the Hawkeyes only bonus points of the round.

“McDonough was big,” Brands said. “That's what I like to see and that's what I like to talk about. He went out and wrestled his match.”

Penn State notched six early bonus points and led Iowa by two before the start of Thursday night's second round. Andrew Alton and Ed Ruth earned pins at 141 and 174, respectively, for the Nittany Lions. Penn State's Frank Molinaro (149) and David Taylor (157) added major decisions.

The Hawkeyes left points out on the mat, winning by four or more in three matches but not securing major decisions with eight-point wins.

“There is a couple guys who could have gone to work earlier,” Brands said mentioning Derek St. John (157) and 174-pounder Ethen Lofthouse. “At this point, probably letting them wrestle more of their match rather than the coach's match, so maybe there's not barking from the corner unless they need a boot up the butt.