After Mark Hall had pinned his Hawkeye opponent at 174 pounds, Brands said the fan told the coach, “It was going to be a long night.”
“That crowd was relentless behind us,” Brands said. “After the second (fall) at (1)84, I turned around and looked at him and said, ‘It’s not going to be a long night anymore.’”
Hall and Bo Nickal wrestled a combined 1 minute, 50 seconds and turned a four-point team deficit into a 21-13 advantage. Penn State won the final four bouts and for Brands, it brought up old memories.
“It unravled in a hurry,” Brands said.