The lower weight classes have struggled for the Gophers wrestling
team, and that trend continued Friday night.

No. 12 Minnesota (4-3, 3-2 Big Ten) dropped all five matches
under 165 pounds, losing to No. 5 Nebraska (10-1, 4-1 Big Ten) 21-11 at the
Sports Pavilion.

It wasn’t all bad for the Gophers, however, as they earned wins
in four of the top five weight classes. Perhaps the most exciting was at 197
pounds, where Minnesota’s No. 2 Brett Pfarr and Nebraska’s No. 7 Aaron
Studebaker were locked in a tight match, tied at 3 in the third period.

 With just seconds
remaining, Pfarr earned what appeared to be a takedown to give him the match,
however it was not scored, sending the match to overtime. Minnesota interim head
coach Brandon Eggum challenged the call, and after some time at the monitor the
referees awarded Pfarr the takedown and the match.

“Brett’s a veteran…he’s very composed,” said Eggum. “To get that
takedown with a second or so left was big.”

The points were crucial for the Gophers at the time, extending
their lead to five—a lead which would be again bolstered by a Michael Kroells decision
at Heavyweight.

A Nebraska pin at 125 pounds just after the half seemed to change
the tone of the dual, however, and the Huskers never looked back, winning the
remaining four matches and the dual.

Minnesota now heads to Indiana for a Sunday dual against the
Hoosiers looking for its fourth Big Ten win.

“We felt like this was a match that we let slip away from us,”
Eggum said.