Opposing wrestlers can’t beat Jake Herbert, and they definitely can’t join him, so they’ve been doing the next best thing: trying not to get pinned.
Herbert, the No. 1 wrestler in the 184-pound weight class, hasn’t lost a collegiate match since 2006, is 21-0 on the year, and has 12 pins. Still, Herbert hasn’t been able to record pins in his last two matches, in part because the opposition has started to focus less on winning outright, and more on backing away from Herbert and stalling, making a pin during the seven-minute match unlikely.
“There’s really not much you can do if they keep going out like that,” Herbert said after beating Wisconsin’s Eric Bugenhagen by technical fall, 22-7. “If you go up against a guy who’s out there not to get pinned, then he did his job; he won that match.”
Herbert strongly dislikes this treatment, but it seems as if he’s going to have to live with it.
“They’re doing it more and more lately,” Herbert said. “With Precin too,” referring to Brandon Precin, his teammate in the 125-pound class who is 21-1 on the year.
Morale isn’t the only motivation for Herbert’s opponents to avoid him: In wrestling dual meets, not all wins are created equal. A pin, the best way to win a match, contributes six points to a team’s tally for the meet. A regular decision – something Herbert refers to as a “hiccup” – is worth only three. Therefore, with beating Herbert quickly becoming practically impossible, many wrestlers and their coaches have decided that the best course of action is to stall.
“You tell them, ‘if you’ve got a chance to beat a guy, do it,'” coach Tim Cysewski said. “But Jake’s goal is to pin everybody, and he’s been doing it. So as a coach, I’m telling my kid, ‘I wanna win this dual match, so stay off your back. Don’t get pinned.'”
As a strategy, it works. Herbert defeated his opponent from Michigan, Anthony Biondo, by major decision as opposed to a pin. Northwestern went on to tie Michigan, 17-17, whereas if Herbert had pinned his opponent instead, the score would have been 19-17.
Herbert understands that it’s a sign of respect, but as a wrestling perfectionist, he still sees his performance as unacceptable. Despite winning, he’s angry – primarily at his opponent.
“You can respect a guy like crazy once you’re off the mat, but when you’re out there wrestling, you can’t have any of that,” Herbert said. “I don’t think anybody deserves that amount of respect, at least for that seven minutes.”
Although it’s unlikely he’ll ever have to, Herbert seems morally opposed to the concept of avoiding his opponent.
“I don’t care who I’m wrestling,” Herbert said. “If I’m going out against a guy who’s a four-time Olympic champion or a guy who’s out there wrestling for the first time, I’m going to give the same amount of respect to everybody.”
The No. 16 Wildcats wrestle against No. 9 Illinois on Friday and No. 8 Minnesota on Sunday, both on the road.
