There was a ton of anticipation from the community for the 2024-25 NCAA college wrestling season. So how did it turn out? Looking at all the recent bouts from most colleges, each wrestler has been delivering their best performances, striving to outshine each other in the season-opening matches. The wrestlers are portraying their talents, as these youngsters know what is at stake in their careers.

The same goes for the wrestlers who are making a return to the scene, wanting to prove themselves once again. However, the community’s attention has been drawn to a particular performance in a recent NCAA match due to the officials’ judgment, leading to a divide in opinions on a certain social media post.

Doubts over the match between the two colleges

Which two universities had a match that garnered significant attention on the internet? No. 3 Oklahoma State wrestling faced No. 21 Oklahoma on Friday night at McCasland Field House. The David Taylor-led team gave the opponent a big defeat, winning the match, 35-3. The victory also maintained the Cowboys’ perfect 5-0 record and gave the Sooners their first loss of the campaign at 3-1.

While there were many epic performances to look at from the match, the bout between Carter Young (OSU) and Willie McDougald (OU) in the 149 lbs division caught the attention after X user @gif_tannen uploaded a video, stating, “My wrestling knowledge is well below anyone officiating these matches, but re-watching the 3rd period of the 149 match, I can’t wrap my head around how the second stall was called. Combine that with McDougal running the entire 2:00 minute SV, and it only magnifies the ineptitude.”

The social media user had questions for the officials who were judging the bout between the two wrestlers on the mat. They acknowledged the officials’ knowledge of the sport, but they wanted to draw attention to a suspicious incident that occurred in the second stall during the third period of the 149 lbs match. Additionally, they highlighted the OU wrestler’s sprint during his bout against the OSU wrestler. The fingers were pointed at McDougal, as there were plenty of moments when he could’ve gone aggressive with a takedown but didn’t do so.

However, Young, on the other side, was trying his best to be aggressive against his opponent, giving him less room to apply any passive strategy. The OSU wrestler continued to make more moves, and despite a weak counter, the video shows that the OU wrestler also attempted to set up a stall call. McDougal was still playing it passive, while Young was trying to be full-on aggressive with him. So what message are they trying to convey? According to the social media user, the OU wrestler has been making fewer movements than the OSU wrestler. In the final moments of the third division bout, they executed a move to take the score, which was also prompted by a suspicious and controversial call from the officials. Eventually, the X post gained traction online, leading many wrestling fans to unite and divide their opinions in the comment section.

Wrestling fans raising the heat

Incidents like this always see a controversial take from the community. And many fans didn’t take a long time to put the blame on the officials for their lack of decision-making during the bout, as one stated, “Complete bulls***.” Similarly, another fan conveyed their feelings on it, stating, “This official is a piece of s***.”

Fans observed not only the official calls during the game but also the stark differences in performance between these two wrestlers. As evidenced in the video, OSU’s Carter Young frequently displayed excessive aggression towards his opponent. However, it’s not the wrestler’s fault; after David Taylor took over as OSU’s head coach, the Cowboys underwent a transformation in their training, adopting a more stern mentality during matches.

While the aggressiveness of the OSU wrestler was imminent, many fans had questions about OU’s Willie McDougald, especially on his movements, as one stated, “Not to mention McDougal fleeing the mat 2x when young was deep in on a takedown.” The video only showed the third-division match, and this fan expressed how the OU wrestler was wrestling before, stating, “McDougal ran away the whole first two periods also. He needs to wear a track suit instead of a singlet.” Similarly, calling out the OU wrestler, a fan stated, “🐔 💩 move by McDougal.”

Even though this controversy took place, it didn’t massively impact the results. While Carter lost the match, OSU’s dominance over OU at their home stadium demonstrated the determination of Taylor’s wrestlers in the current season.