Cowboys survive Sooners' upset bid

Bedlam was supposed to be a sleepwalk for Oklahoma State, yet it almost turned into a nightmare.

Chris Perry, however, was wide-awake.

Perry's technical fall pushed the Cowboys to a 19-18 win against Oklahoma.

A sophomore from Stillwater, Perry's match was the next to last match of the night, and when he stepped on the mat, the Cowboys were trailing the Sooners 15-13.

Perry dominated Oklahoma's Kyle Detmer 20-5 and picked up bonus points for OSU to give his team a 18-15 lead.

Perry said as the intensity of the dual grew, he remained focused on the task at hand.

"The momentum swung pretty hard," Perry said. "It's hard to watch, but I've got to focus on myself. The team has to take care of itself."

Perry's technical fall victory was key for the Cowboys because they lost the final match of the evening. OSU won the dual with advantage at the tiebreaker.

Perry said he didn't know the magnitude of his technical fall victory until his match was finished.

"I knew the tech was important after I got it because I could hear more cheers than I thought I would hear," Perry said.

Perry said although the team struggled tonight, it was a good experience for the Cowboys to fight for a victory on the road.

"That's the thing that national championship teams are going to have to do," Perry said. "We did it at Iowa, we did it against OU, and we did it against Missouri. That's a good thing to have, to know that you're not going to have a panic."

Coach John Smith said Oklahoma had nothing to lose and it helped them almost upset OSU. The Sooners were celebrating senior night, and it was their last dual of the season.

Smith said after considering that aspect of the dual, he will take the victory.

"We beat them," Smith said. "I wish it would have been worse, but in the end, I think I've got to take what I got tonight."

Smith said his team will learn from this close victory, and shift its focus to Sunday and the National Duals.

"You can look at it and say you have to wrestle better," Smith said. "We'll have to wrestle better at the National Duals. That should give us an opportunity to do that—winning on the road in a tough match.           

"I think you look at this match and we talk a little bit about things that didn't occur in it; definitely some things that allows you to move forward."