No. 21 Purdue taking on No. 5 Iowa Sunday

[ 0 ] January 5, 2013 | Ryan Suchomel

Iowa is coming off a 22-9 win over No. 4 Ohio State and next week travels to No. 2 Oklahoma State.

So, you know what Admiral Ackbar would say about the dual against No. 21 Purdue (10-2) Sunday, right?

It’s a trap!

Iowa (11-0) has won 25 straight against Purdue and won 37-3 last season in West Lafayette, Ind.

But the Boilermakers feature a lineup with four ranked wrestlers as well as three redshirt freshmen. And Purdue is coming off a 26-10 win over Michigan State on Friday.

That win included two major decisions for the Boilermakers and a pin by 174-pounder Chad Welch, a redshirt freshman.

Iowa beat Ohio State with just one match worth of bonus points Friday — Tony Ramos beat Kyle Visconti 30-14 at 133 pounds.

“(Bonus points) are something we talk about every day,” Iowa coach Tom Brands said Wednesday. “Philosophy-wise, if not verbally.”

Iowa can’t hit the snooze button despite only being the underdog in two matches. No. 13 Ivan Lopouchanski (15-0) a senior, is favored over No. 19 Michael Kelley (10-3), and No. 17 Braden Atwood (17-3), a sophomore, is favored over unranked freshman Nathan Burak at 197 pounds.

“We’ve got to be ready,” Brands said.