Max Askren’s upset loss leads to Missouri’s first Big 12 defeat
By STEVEN MILLAR
In a flash, it was over.
Missouri’s Max Askren led Iowa State’s Kurt Backes 6-4 in the second period of the 197-pound match in Sunday’s wrestling dual. It was a match the No. 2 Tigers, trailing 18-12, needed to win to have a chance at beating the No. 3 Cyclones. If Askren, the country’s top-ranked wrestler in the weight class, could pin No. 10 Backes, the match would be tied.
But with one minute and 49 seconds left in the second period, Backes countered an Askren takedown attempt, taking hold of his arm and head, and throwing him to the mat. A defensive pin was called almost instantly, stunning the crowd. The call, which occurs when a wrestler pins himself, is rarely seen in matches.
“You see that call once in a while, not very much,” Missouri coach Brian Smith said. “But he (the referee) said that his (Askren’s) ‘body collapsed.'”
Outside of the few hundred Iowa State fans in attendance, and some Missouri fans screaming at referee Kenny Richey, a silence came over the 2,772 fans at Hearnes Center.
Askren sprinted angrily into the tunnel leading to the Missouri locker room, his older brother Ben following close behind. Smith protested adamantly to Richey. Backes celebrated with his teammates and walked by the section of Cyclones fans seated behind the team’s bench arms raised above his head in victory.
Askren’s undefeated season was over, and so was the dual. Iowa State won 27-12.
Max Askren did not speak with media after the dual, but Missouri 174-pounder Ben Askren said that his younger brother just made a mistake.
“It was a close match,” Ben Askren said. “Max just made a mistake. He’s a freshman and he’ll learn from it.”
Smith and Ben Askren both said the call was surprising, but that they would just have to live with it.
“It’s a pin,” Smith said. “That’s what you’ve got to live with. You move on. You can scream and yell. It hurts for Max because he was undefeated, but it’s early season, he’ll move on.”
Backes downplayed the importance of his victory somewhat, but said he hoped it would give him momentum for the rest of the season.
“The win doesn’t make my season,” he said. “It’s a good confidence builder. He’s a tough kid, he’s beaten a lot of kids that I’ve lost to. It’s a good gauge of where I am right now. I just have to keep on rolling.”
The duel figured to be a close one going in, with each team having the higher-ranked wrestler in five of 10 matches. Missouri fell behind early. After Iowa State’s Nick Franthorpe won at 125 pounds, the Cyclones’ Nick Gallick dominated Tim Kephart 14-3 at 133 pounds, giving Iowa State a 7-0 lead. Kephart was forced to fill in for No. 5 Tyler McCormick, who missed his second straight dual because of an illness. The Tigers fell into a deeper hole when No. 7 Josh Wagner was upset by No. 19 Cyler Sanderson at 149 pounds and No. 7 Matt Pell dropped a 2-0 decision to No. 3 Travis Paulson at 165 pounds, putting the Cyclones up 18-3.
Iowa State (11-3, 4-0 Big 12) won seven of the 10 matches. The Tigers did have a bright spot at 184 pounds, where No. 5 Raymond Jordan scored a takedown with 25 seconds left to beat No. 6 Jake Varner 6-4.
“It’s a big win going into (the) conference (championships),” Jordan said. “You really want to get that win to have confidence going into it.”
The loss kept Missouri from recording its first perfect conference season in school history. Jordan said it was disappointing not to achieve that milestone, but that the team had their sights set on bigger goals.
“As long as we finish our true goal to win the national championship in March, it won’t be much of a setback,” he said.
“I’ll trade a loss today any day for a national championship in March.”
Smith gave credit to Iowa State after the dual, but said the Cyclones caught his team shorthanded without McCormick and 157-pounder Michael Chandler, who has missed the team’s past four duals with injury.
“They wrestled hard,” he said. “I give them credit. But, I want to get my people in the lineup.”
With the loss, Missouri will almost certainly fall to No. 3 in the national polls behind the Cyclones, but Smith said that didn’t matter much to him, and that his team will be ready for the Big 12 Championships on March 3 and the National Championships on March 15 to 17.
“March 17 is the ranking that matters,” he said. “We know we’re going to wrestle good at the national tournament.”
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