Hawkeyes challenged by top-ranked Penn State

University of Iowa wrestling coach Tom Brands has avoided calling any dual during the Hawkeye's unbeaten streak the toughest test. He simply refers to the "next" challenge.

On paper, the Hawkeyes next challenge seems to be their most daunting task of the 71-dual stretch without a loss. No. 8 Iowa will face top-ranked Penn State Sunday at Rec Hall in State College, Pa., starting at 1 p.m. The venue holds about 6,500 and is sold out.

"This weekend is a big weekend and they're all big," Brands said. "This is something that you don't always have an opportunity to wrestle the No. 1 team in a dual in their arena."

So the roles are now reversed. The Hawkeyes, who were No. 1 for most of the time while they were winning the last three Big Ten and NCAA Championships, are the ones travelling to the nation's top teams, trying to score an upset. Eight Penn State wrestlers are ranked and seven are in the top six of their respective weight classes. The challenge generates excitement.

"It fires you up," Brands said. "We're battlers."

Defending 125-pound NCAA champion Matt McDonough (15-1) noted the importance of this weekend, which opened with a 31-9 win at No. 18 Northwestern Friday night.

"Above all that, it's exciting because this is what we train for," McDonough said. "Getting a weekend like this where you wrestle the best in the country gives you a really good opportunity."

The Nittany Lions have pounced on their competition this season, posting a 13-0 record overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten. Penn State has won all but one of its duals by 12 points or more with its closest dual being a 21-17 win over Lehigh in early November. Penn State also tied preseason national title favorite Cornell University for first at the Southern Scuffle tournament at the same time Iowa was fourth at the Midlands.

Five starters are red-shirt freshmen, including second-ranked 174-pounder Ed Ruth and David Taylor, No. 3 at 157. Quentin Wright, now a red-shirt sophomore, wrestled as a freshman for the 2008-09 and then red-shirted last year in Cael Sanderson's first year leading the Lions after leaving Iowa State to replace former coach Troy Sunderland.

With the incoming recruiting class and red-shirting talent last year, it appeared that Sanderson was loading up for a championship run this season.

"He had a plan and the plan has been executed. The plan appears to be working well," Brands said. "They're the clear No. 1. They're blowing people out."

The Hawkeyes (10-0-1, 3-0) know they will be in an unfriendly environment Sunday. Penn State fans have been asked to wear white for a "White Out" promotion.

"It's probably going to be a little hostile, a little crazy," Iowa's 14th-ranked 157-pounder Derek St. John said. "I'm not really worried about it. Just have to go in there and compete."

It's the second straight tough test for St. John, who used two third-period takedowns to beat Northwestern's seventh-ranked Jason Welch, 4-2, Friday. Taylor owns a 25-0 mark and has captured the attention of many in college wrestling.

"Taylor is setting the world on fire," Brands said. "That seems to be what everybody's talking about so it's a big challenge."

St. John (12-2) has scored a win over Taylor in past freestyle competition, which provides some confidence. St. John said he needs to be ready to wrestle and battle for the entire seven minutes. His view is common among the Hawkeyes.

"It's not something that turns you away," St. John said. "It's something that fires you up."

Ethen Lofthouse, ranked 13th, will have his hands full with Ruth (23-1), who owns a win over Cornell's Mack Lewnes, taking him down three times after Lewnes went last season without surrendering a takedown until his NCAA finals loss to Iowa's Jay Borschel.

Iowa's Mark Ballweg has made big strides at 141, but faces fifth-ranked freshman Andrew Alton (24-2). A bout between former teammates could occur at 133, depending who Iowa sends on the mat. Iowa's Tyler Clark and Penn State's Andrew Long were former Iowa State Cyclones. Clark transferred to Iowa after Sanderson left for State College. Long was a national runner-up last year at 125. He had been suspended from the ISU program after being arrested twice. As he worked to return to the team in the fall, he decided to transfer to Penn State and is 6-0 with the Lions this semester.

"There are a lot of big matches," Brands said.