Berhow's upset sets tone for victory

Minnesota assistant coach Brandon Eggum’s prescient abilities were in question for most of Thursday’s heavyweight match.
On Wednesday, Eggum guaranteed an upset win for the Gophers at heavyweight by No. 11 Ben Berhow over No. 7 Tucker Lane. It didn’t start well.
Nebraska’s Lane notched two early takedowns, and held a 4-1 lead late in the first period, but Berhow escaped with a single tick left on the clock. The effect on the scoreboard was minimal – Berhow still trailed 4-2. The effect on momentum was critical, both in the match and the dual meet.
Lane didn’t manage another takedown, Berhow managed two of his own, and with each wrestler escaping after every takedown, the match went to overtime.
As the whistle blew on the sudden-victory period, everyone in Williams Arena saw coming what Eggum expected a day earlier. A visibly tired Lane left himself exposed and Berhow was not about to miss the opportunity. He took Lane to the mat for a 9-7 decision, tied the dual meet at 6-6 in the process, and the rout was on. The No. 6 Gophers (2-1) soon cruised to a 28-14 win over the 12th-ranked Cornhuskers (4-2).
“I know that I’m in better shape than anyone,” Berhow said after the match. “I know I have better training, better conditioning overall and I knew that this was a guy I could beat.”
Confidence may have played a role, but why was Eggum so certain Berhow would win?
“It was really just the way he wrestled last week against Oklahoma State,” Eggum said after jokingly claiming a sixth sense. “He’s done it in spurts, but against Oklahoma State you could see that he really believed that he could win against the best guys. That confidence is a huge part.”
Minnesota’s utter dominance after Berhow’s upset, on the other hand, nobody predicted.
The dual began at 184 pounds and though the Gophers won two of the first three matches, 125 came up with the score tied 6-6 thanks to Nebraska’s 2nd-ranked Craig Brester pinning junior Joe Nord at 197. The next four matches, however, statistically sealed the dual for Minnesota.
No. 4 Zach Sanders and No. 6 Mike Thorn recorded technical falls at 125 and 141, respectively, sandwiching No. 2 Jayson Ness’ ninth pin of the season in the first period of the 133 bout. In 10 matches this season, Ness has wrestled past the first period only twice.
“The quicker you get it done the better,” Ness said. “Just get in there, get the job done and get off.”
The Gophers followed that philosophy as a team, too. Redshirt freshman Mario Mason’s 3-1 decision at 149 left the score at 25-6 with three matches remaining; even if Nebraska had recorded pins in all three, Minnesota still would have won.
“To win a dual meet, you need everyone to do what they’re supposed to do, and you need one guy to pull an upset,” Ness said. “It changes the dual, and Berhow came with a big upset today and switched the momentum in our favor.”