LINCOLN, Neb. — No. 20 Purdue Wrestling lost 36-3 at No. 7 Nebraska on Friday night in the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
No. 4 Joey Blaze (165 lbs) took the only match victory of the night for the Boilermakers (7-2, 0-1 B1G), defeating No. 8 LJ Araujo in an 8-2 decision that never felt as close as the score indicates.
Two first-period takedowns for Blaze were wiped off the board after successful challenges from the Nebraska corner, but the All-American junior dictated the match, notching a takedown and reversal midway through. He scrambled out of a failed head pinch for one more takedown in the final seconds for good measure.
Finish 👏 On 👏 Top!@joeyblaze18 remains undefeated with an 8-2 decision over #8 LJ Araujo. pic.twitter.com/lWU9THEizK
— Purdue Wrestling (@PurdueWrestling) January 10, 2026
The win was Blaze’s first over a top-10 opponent this season and the ninth of his career. He improved to 13-0 with a 42-0 takedown ratio on the year.
No. 16 Brody Baumann also looked impressive in the 174-pound match against 2025 All-American, No. 6 Christopher Minto. The Husker built an early 4-1 lead, but Baumann went on the attack in the second period and scored a takedown and two-point near-fall, nearly pinning Minto on his back. But Minto slithered out and landed the last two takedowns of the match, including the match-clincher with eight seconds to go, winning an 11-8 barnburner.
The Cornhuskers (8-3, 1-0 B1G) feature a talented lineup as the defending NCAA runner-ups from last March. Five bonus point wins, including two falls and three major decisions, propelled them to victory.
UP NEXT
Purdue returns to the East Coast next week for two more Big Ten duals at Maryland and Rutgers. The Boilermakers battle the Terrapins on Friday at 7 p.m. ET before facing the Scarlet Knights on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
Both duals will be live on B1G+.
RESULTS
#7 NEBRASKA 36, #20 PURDUE 3
125 | Alan Koehler def. Ashton Jackson – Dec. 9-3 | NEB 3-0
133 | #8 Jacob Van Dee def. Blake Boarman – MD 13-2 | NEB 7-0
141 | #3 Brock Hardy def. Vincent Paino – Pin 3:57 | NEB 13-0
149 | #11 Chance Lamer def. #21 Gavin Brown – MD 12-2 | NEB 17-0
157 | #5 Antrell Taylor def. #19 Stoney Buell – Pin 2:51 | NEB 23-0
165 | #4 Joey Blaze def. #8 LJ Araujo – Dec. 8-2 | NEB 23-3
174 | #6 Christopher Minto def. #16 Brody Baumann – Dec. 11-8 | NEB 26-3
184 | #9 Silas Allred def. #25 James Rowley – Dec. 4-1 | NEB 29-3
197 | #12 Camden McDanel def. #23 Ben Vanadia – Dec. 7-1 | NEB 32-3
285 | #4 AJ Ferrari def. Hayden Filipovich – MD 11-2 | NEB 36-3