As a fan, which NCAA loss left the biggest bruise?

As a fan, which NCAA loss left the biggest bruise?


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    256

El_Jefe

Heisman
Oct 11, 2021
3,765
15,379
113
As much as I agree with that—and I do—did they say anything about the structural issues of an overturn being an escape valve from a major positional disadvantage (stuck in a cradle)? I’m not saying I have a perfect solution to propose, but bad calls are gonna happen from time to time. This seems like a flaw in the rules, and worthy of attention whenever rule changes are discussed again.
The obvious answer is what we see in every other sport with replay: the refs are gonna swallow their whistles for a few extra seconds and let replay figure it out.
 
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Lil Nicky Scarfo

All-American
Jul 1, 2025
1,807
5,193
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I was totally at peace with DT’s losses to Bubba and Dake - sanguine in fact


 
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nerfstate

All-Conference
Oct 11, 2021
740
3,191
93
The obvious answer is what we see in every other sport with replay: the refs are gonna swallow their whistles for a few extra seconds and let replay figure it out.
sure wish our guy would’ve done that here…
 

Dogwelder

All-Conference
Aug 1, 2013
919
3,131
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When DT lost to Bubba, I was a brand new Penn State fan and not very invested in the team. I had never followed NCAA wrestling before. I loved the result because I love an underdog story. And Bubba seemed like such a likable guy in his interviews. He talked about breaking somebody’s brand new phenomenon toy. I also love good metaphors!
 

AgSurfer

All-Conference
Aug 9, 2013
688
2,211
92
Bubba pinning Taylor
Martin beating Bo
Considering the level of hero worship, finding out Andy Matter got pinned in his sophomore season
See my previous post above - I was there when it happened. Also, some guy named Larry Owings who was not very well known to most of us from the Eastern US won OW that same tournament.
 
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Matter7172

All-Conference
Oct 30, 2021
354
1,262
83
I'm not going to argue with the assessments of Andy Matter given my screen name.

I voted MM/Carr. It sure looked to me like MM was going become the second undefeated 4-timer. To lose the finals because of an individual and collective brain fart was just brutal. He had Carr for the taking.

I voted "Other" for two matches - DT/Dake in the finals and Kolat/Babak Mohammadi in the 1994 semi-finals. I thought Penn State had a shot to win the team title in 1994, but that loss shut the door on the possibility. Plus it led to Kolat leaving PSU.

 
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BriantheLion

All-Conference
Nov 27, 2023
1,660
2,336
113
I'm not going to argue with the assessments of Andy Matter given my screen name.

I voted MM/Carr. It sure looked to me like MM was going become the second undefeated 4-timer. To lose the finals because of an individual and collective brain fart was just brutal. He had Carr for the taking.

I voted "Other" for two matches - DT/Dake in the finals and Kolat/Babak Mohammadi in the 1994 semi-finals. I thought Penn State had a shot to win the team title in 1994, but that loss shut the door on the possibility. Plus it led to Kolat leaving PSU.

Thank you for posting this… I always wondered why CK transferred out… now I understand.
 

Nitlion1986

All-American
Apr 13, 2024
1,905
5,639
113
Thank you for posting this… I always wondered why CK transferred out… now I understand.
Not winning a title in his first 2 years was devastating, but Cary was picked up by the campus police passed out on Pattee's steps. That was pretty much the straw that broke the camel's back. During his time at Lock Haven he still spent a whole lot of time wrestling around and working out with the PSU guys.
 
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Tryingtodoitright

All-Conference
Oct 12, 2021
788
1,342
93
One of my votes went for Morgan MacIntosh. He was an unsung figure who seemed to be a ‘tweener’ and sacrificially wrestled where the team may have needed him most. A nicer, more laid back kind of guy one can’t imagine. Plus he reminded me of Micky Dolenz, the drummer for the Monkees.
 

manatree

All-American
Oct 6, 2021
3,441
6,211
113
Not winning a title in his first 2 days was devastating, but Cary was picked up by the campus police passed out on Pattee's steps. That was pretty much the straw that broke the camel's back. During his time at Lock Haven he still spent a whole lot of time wrestling around and working out with the PSU guys.

Talk about the crushing weight of high expectations. 🙃
 
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Still in State Colllege

All-Conference
Oct 12, 2021
606
1,036
93
Talk about the crushing weight of high expectations. 🙃
You hate to see it but you see it all the time. Just think about Penn State. You have the Alton twins, Gulibon, Howard, etc. Hard to come in with the expectation that you are going to be a multiple time champ, and you leave with none.
 
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Matter7172

All-Conference
Oct 30, 2021
354
1,262
83
Not winning a title in his first 2 years was devastating, but Cary was picked up by the campus police passed out on Pattee's steps. That was pretty much the straw that broke the camel's back. During his time at Lock Haven he still spent a whole lot of time wrestling around and working out with the PSU guys.
I was under the impression that that (the intoxication episode) had happened sometime during his freshman year.
 

TwoJoints

Senior
Feb 2, 2025
186
627
93
Not winning a title in his first 2 years was devastating, but Cary was picked up by the campus police passed out on Pattee's steps. That was pretty much the straw that broke the camel's back. During his time at Lock Haven he still spent a whole lot of time wrestling around and working out with the PSU guys.
Unfortunately, Cael and Casey had not yet arrived on the scene and weren’t available to carry Cary back to the dorms.
 

PSUbluTX

All-Conference
Feb 7, 2018
360
1,549
93
You hate to see it but you see it all the time. Just think about Penn State. You have the Alton twins, Gulibon, Howard, etc. Hard to come in with the expectation that you are going to be a multiple time champ, and you leave with none.

Dayton Fix always comes to my mind as a poster child for unmet expectations. There was plenty of chatter about him being a 4-timer coming off a 168-0 high school record, 4 state titles, junior Hodge winner, cadet and junior world titles, multiple age-group world teams, etc. To come away with zero natties at OKST certainly was unexpected for many.
 
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BriantheLion

All-Conference
Nov 27, 2023
1,660
2,336
113
Dayton Fix always comes to my mind as a poster child for unmet expectations. There was plenty of chatter about him being a 4-timer coming off a 168-0 high school record, 4 state titles, junior Hodge winner, cadet and junior world titles, multiple age-group world teams, etc. To come away with zero natties at OKST certainly was unexpected for many.
Ditto for Chance Marstellar
 
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nerfstate

All-Conference
Oct 11, 2021
740
3,191
93
My dad and I went to Pattee once back then on a Sunday Morning for a reason I do not recall. I kid you not: Cary and Sunnie were supporting each other arm-over-shoulder as they swerved their way up the deserted mall, belting out the Star Spangled Banner at the top of their lungs. I can’t say if it was a frequent thing they did or if it lead to Cary passing out in the bushes. But that is burned in my memory. I was probably 14 or 15.
 

JoeBagobagels

All-Conference
Jun 24, 2025
858
1,045
92
I picked Bo losing the Miles Martin for one, messing brink, losing the car number two and PJ Duke losing to Robineau third . Bold would've been an easy four-time and his four-time would've been before potentially messing Brinks. Miss Brink could've been an undefeated for time so that one stinks, and I thought Duke just got robbed. Bad call, a bad time to stop that match.
 

TwoJoints

Senior
Feb 2, 2025
186
627
93
For many, PJ’s hurts most because he won the match and was denied a shot at a likely NC. The others, while heartbreaking, were actual losses.
I trust PJ will use his “loss” as his motivation to wrestle with a consistent edge this year. Bonus everybody. Go for the fall. His B1G10 win vs. Taylor is a great example of how a super focused PJ is an unstoppable PJ.
 

SkiSkiSki

All-Conference
May 29, 2001
3,771
1,144
113
I picked Bo losing the Miles Martin for one, messing brink, losing the car number two and PJ Duke losing to Robineau third . Bold would've been an easy four-time and his four-time would've been before potentially messing Brinks. Miss Brink could've been an undefeated for time so that one stinks, and I thought Duke just got robbed. Bad call, a bad time to stop that match.
I gave this a laugh for talk-to-text.
 

CTStall

Senior
Oct 24, 2020
322
818
93
Taylor loss to Bubba was tough. DT beats him probably 9 out of 10 times. I actually think Jenkins was looking for that opportunity.
The MM match against Carr is now a true heartbreaker. Not just the potential of the history but also the lack of understanding of the net score by all of those involved. 💔
 

gabletrained1990

Sophomore
Feb 27, 2024
19
134
27
IMO the ones where a Penn Stater misses out on a potential/likely opportunity for only one hurts the most. Beau losing to Mendez in the finals when Beau had him dead to rights still stings. He had a legit shot the next year as well and couldn’t ride Mendez for another 5 seconds but that one I was not convinced he would win and still would have had to wrestle the final. Van Ness is one of my all time favorite wrestlers and while he still has another shot, his loss was crushing. If not for all the blood timeouts and another 5 seconds at the end of the 2nd period I think SVN wins. Shoulda woulda coulda. Long winded post way of saying 1) SVN to Valencia ; 2) Beau to Mendez in finals for me. Maybe some recency bias but not many PSU wrestlers have only one 2nd place and no titles on their resumes.
 

El_Jefe

Heisman
Oct 11, 2021
3,765
15,379
113
Taylor loss to Bubba was tough. DT beats him probably 9 out of 10 times. I actually think Jenkins was looking for that opportunity.
Not picking on you. I've seen this comment several times and can't go along with it.

Taylor wrestled tentatively for 1.5 periods, right up until he took a less-than-committed shot that Jenkins turned into a cradle. At the time, I thought it was room familiarity, Bubba knowing Taylor's tricks and training specifically for that match.

And then 2 years later we saw Taylor wrestle tentatively against Dake, even after scoring the initial takedown. Dake had some familiarity, but not the better part of a year training together like Jenkins.

Whatever the reason, Taylor wrestled tentatively in 2 different national finals matches. Probably not a coincidence that those were the 2 best opponents he faced in 4 NCAA tournaments. So I can't agree that 157-165 Taylor would've beaten a highly-motivated, returning national finalist Jenkins 9 out of 10 times. 86 kg Taylor, different story, by then he had figured out whatever held him back.
 

CTStall

Senior
Oct 24, 2020
322
818
93
Not picking on you. I've seen this comment several times and can't go along with it.

Taylor wrestled tentatively for 1.5 periods, right up until he took a less-than-committed shot that Jenkins turned into a cradle. At the time, I thought it was room familiarity, Bubba knowing Taylor's tricks and training specifically for that match.

And then 2 years later we saw Taylor wrestle tentatively against Dake, even after scoring the initial takedown. Dake had some familiarity, but not the better part of a year training together like Jenkins.

Whatever the reason, Taylor wrestled tentatively in 2 different national finals matches. Probably not a coincidence that those were the 2 best opponents he faced in 4 NCAA tournaments. So I can't agree that 157-165 Taylor would've beaten a highly-motivated, returning national finalist Jenkins 9 out of 10 times. 86 kg Taylor, different story, by then he had figured out whatever held him back.
I rewatched the match after your post and agree with your assessment of Taylor being tenative. The 9 out 10 times is probably wrong. I'll change it to Taylor beats Jenkins a majority of times (6 out of 10)
There was no doubt that Jenkins was looking for Cradle and probably hit it on DT a few times in practice. Hence Taylor being tenative on some shots.

What I didn't realize was neither wrestler came in as a top 2 seed. Taylor was seeded 3rd and Bubba 4th .
 
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