STATE COLLEGE — For the first time all year, the Penn State wrestling team was pushed and challenged, but the Nittany Lions did what they always do – claw their way to a win.

No. 1 Penn State (12-0, 6-0 Big Ten) won seven of 10 bouts against No. 6 Nebraska (9-6, 2-3) to turn away the Cornhuskers, 26-12, on Friday in the Bryce Jordan Center.

Despite losing three bouts for the first time all season, one by fall, the Nittany Lions recorded two technical falls, two major decisions and three decisions. Penn State was deducted a team point after the 141-pound bout.

“I think it was a great match for us. Really good preparation. That’s a really good team. Some of those guys are guys you’re going to need to beat if you want to be a national champion,” Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said.

The Nittany Lions are on track for a sixth straight undefeated dual meet season and extended a handful of impressive winning streaks:

• NCAA record 83rd consecutive dual meet win

• 72nd consecutive home win

• 48th consecutive Big Ten win

Nebraska has faced a gauntlet in the past eight days, losing to No. 6 Iowa, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 1 Penn State during that span. Against the Nittany Lions, the Huskers hand fought and retreated, which often times prevented Penn State from mounting its usual offensive attacks.

“That’s just a tactic we’re seeing,” Sanderson said. “Just jabbing us in the face and backing up. We see it every week, so it’s nothing new. We just have to close the gap and get in there and get to our tie ups and do our thing. We’re used to that. It’s hard to wrestle. Refs don’t really call stalling traditionally anymore. It’s the way it is. We have to get in there and make it happen.”

Penn State came out of the dual having added to two ridiculous stats: it now has a 382-32 edge in takedowns and a combined 506-31 advantage in dual meet scores.

Against the Huskers, Luke Lilledahl (125) and Mitchell Mesenbrink rolled up technical falls. Rocco Welsh (184) and Josh Barr (197) posted major decisions. Marcus Blaze (133) Shayne Van Ness (149) and Levi Haines (174) earned decisions.

Lilledahl faced the only unranked wrestler in the Husker lineup, 125-pounder Alan Koehler, and the Nittany Lion exploited a clear advantage on his feet. He scored six takedowns with a variety of finishes and added a two-point turn to end the match at the 5:36 mark 20-4.

“I feel like our lineup isn’t really a one-two punch. It’s pretty much like a 10-punch knockout,” Lilledahl said about he and Blaze forming a potent one-two punch at the top of the lineup.

“A lot of our duals, if you’re not here early, you’re going to miss something. I think that’s pretty cool.”

At 133, Blaze was paired with 10th-ranked Jacob Van Dee. Blaze used a fireman’s carry for a first-period takedown and added points for a technical violation and an escape to earn a measured, defensive 5-1 decision.

Nebraska got on the board and right into the match at 141. No. 12 Braeden Davis hit a single and converted to a double virtually off the whistle for a takedown and added another takedown for a 6-2 first-period lead on No. 4 Brock Hardy, a three-time All-American and 2025 NCAA runner-up. Davis escaped to start the second to expand the lead to 7-2 and looked like he would take that lead into the third.

Hardy, though, scored a takedown with nine seconds left in the period to close to within 7-5. He took down to start the third and escaped to close to within 7-6. Davis was in deep on a single and looking to finish when Hardy hooked up a near cradle, turned Davis and cinched it tight for a fall in 5:55.

After the referee slapped the mat, Hardy unlocked his cradle and patted Davis twice on the chest. Davis kicked Hardy and had to be separated from him by the referees. Penn State was deducted a team point for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Nebraska maintained its momentum at 149 as No. 18 Chance Lamer took down No. 1 Shayne Van Ness and led 3-1 after one. Lamer escaped to start the second but Van Ness converted on a takedown to send the match into the third tied at 4-4. Van Ness escaped to start the third and turned up the intensity, taking advantage to score two takedowns and earn a riding time point in a 12-5 decision that gave Penn State a 10-6 lead.

That set up what many thought would be the feature bout of the night between Penn State’s freshman phenom, No. 3 P.J. Duke and No. 5 Antrell Taylor, the defending NCAA champion. It was a defensive struggle that would take 10 minutes to settle. The two swapped escapes only in regulation and the match went into the sudden victory period tied 1-1. Duke appeared to have a takedown in the first period, which Penn State challenged, but the referees said no takedown.

Neither wrestler could gain an advantage in the two-minute sudden victory period and the match went to the tiebreaker periods. Duke won the flip and deferred, so Taylor started on bottom. He escaped in 13 seconds to set up Duke’s turn on bottom. The crowd rose in unison and roared encouragement as the freshman lined up to start the second tiebreaker period. But he couldn’t escape and Taylor won 2-1, handing Duke his first loss of the season.

Taylor, an NCAA champion last season, had lost 9-6 to Duke last year in a freestyle bout.

With just a 10-9 lead coming out of the intermission, No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink padded Penn State’s lead. He dominated No. 7 L.J. Araujo in what would become a 20-5 technical fall in 7:00. Mesenbrink has scored bonus points in every match he’s wrestled this season. In this one, he racked up five takedowns, three in rapid fire in the first, a reversal, two stall points and a riding time point for the win.

At 174, No. 1 Levi Haines was pushed to the brink by No. 4 Christopher Minto. The Husker was awarded a penalty point in the first period when Haines shoved him off the mat and into the scorer’s table. Then, in the second, Haines escaped but Minto converted a low single into a low double for a 4-1 lead. Haines, though, escaped, scored a takedown and rode out the period for a 5-4 lead. Minto escaped to start the third and tied the match at 5-5, but with 40 seconds left, Haines hit a nifty little knee tap for the winning takedown in an 8-6 decision.

“He’s wrestling one of the top guys in the country. Losing a point in the first (period) and then giving up the first takedown and then just having to relax and come back and do his thing was good to see,” Sanderson said. “He showed a lot of poise and just tough. That was a good match.”

Top-ranked 184-pounder Rocco Welsh added to Penn State’s lead with a dominating 14-5 major decision over No. 6 Silas Redd. Pushing the pace almost the entire match, Welsh scored four decisive takedowns to help fuel the win.

No. 1 Josh Barr continued his domination of Nebraska’s Camden McDanel, who came in ranked No. 9. After earning two tech falls over McDanel last season, this time Barr opened a 12-3 lead with four first-period takedowns and then tacked on takedowns in the final two periods, ceding one in the third, in a 21-9 major decision.

Finally, at 285, No. 12 Nittany Lion Cole Mirasola faced off with No. 4 A.J. Ferrari, who was booed loudly any time his name was mentioned.

Ferrari, who won an NCAA title at 197 pounds in 2021 for Oklahoma State and placed third for Cal State-Bakersfield last season, emerged with a 2-1 win. The two swapped escapes, but Ferrari accumulated 1:40 in riding time in the third for the deciding point.

“You’re wrestling a good team and you’re not always going to have your best night. That’s OK. That happens,” Sanderson said. “We wrestled a great team. We knew this would be a great dual months ago. I think the guys just had to get tough and battle some really good wrestlers.”

Penn State wrestles against at 6 p.m. Friday at Michigan.

No. 1 Penn State 26, No. 6 Nebraska 12

125: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) tech. fall Alan Koehler, 20-4 (5:36). 133: No. 4 Marcus Blaze (PSU) dec. No. 10 Jacob Van Dee, 5-1. 141: No. 4 Brock Hardy (N) pinned No. 12 Braeden Davis, 5:55. 149: No. 1 Shayne Van Ness (PSU) dec. No. 18 Chance Lamer, 12-5. 157: No. 5 Antrell Taylor (N) dec. No. 3 P.J. Duke, 2-1 TB. 165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) tech. fall No. 7 L.J. Araujo, 20-5 (7:00). 174: No. 1 Levi Haines (PSU) dec. No. 4 Christopher Minto, 8-6. 184: No. 1 Rocco Welsh (PSU) maj. dec. No. 6 Silas Redd, 14-5. 197: No. 1 Josh Barr (PSU) maj. dec. No. 9 Camden McDanel, 21-9. 285: No. 4 A.J. Ferrari (N) dec. No. 12 Cole Mirasola, 2-1.

Records: Nebraska (9-6, 2-3 Big Ten), Penn State (12-0, 6-0 Big Ten). Next match: Penn State at Michigan, Friday, 6 p.m.