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NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 18, 2011

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

165-lb. Championship

MODERATOR: We're joined by No. 1 seed at 165 pounds Jordan Burroughs, who improved to 35-0 on the season from Nebraska. So congratulations, Jordan, on advancing to the finals. And we'll take questions at this time.

Q. Jordan, why is your double so effective when they know it's coming?
JORDAN BURROUGHS: I don't know, man. It's a lot of dynamics to it. I shoot it from a lot of different angles, from my knees, from my feet. And I just like to work the head and wait for guys to get out of position, and that's when I just go for the opportunity to score and hopefully take them down.

Q. Were you able to watch the other match after you were finished?
JORDAN BURROUGHS: I looked up and I seen every dot on the scoreboard covered up. I figured it was overtime and I had to walk out of the arena. I just wanted to get off the floor quickly and just recollect and regather myself. So I know it was going to be a great match between two hard-fought battles. Not even sure who won.

Q. Caldwell won.
JASON BURROUGHS: Caldwell won.

Q. Obviously you wrestled Andrew Howe earlier in the year. Both guys have been NCA champs. He had some injuries and he's not going to get a shot at you again, but you're going to have a different opponent. You said earlier this week you didn't care who you wrestled but now you have someone that maybe people didn't expect.
JORDAN BURROUGHS: I wrestle anyone. Anyone who puts their foot out there on the line this weekend, I'm ready to dominate. If a family member had a foot on it, I'd probably -- but I'm just ready to wrestle anyone who steps out there. Me and Caldwell wrestled twice this year, we had tough battles and I know he's going to be out there. I'll wrestle him hard. It's tough to beat a guy three times in the same season, so he's going to be gunning for me. He's got some technique and things tacked down so it's going to be a great match. I just want to give the fans something that they paid a lot of money for.
MODERATOR: Other questions for Jordan?

Q. Jordan, is this the best you've perhaps ever wrestled, especially in college?
JORDAN BURROUGHS: Wrestling is tough sport, it's a tough grind. I've had weeks where I've tech-falled a guy and then come back the next week and decisioned the guy. So you never know what you're going to get. When you're out there, I just try to dominate the every opponent the same way and prepare for every guy the same way. So you never know what you're going to get. I feel great. I'm wrestling well. I have a bonus point everyone in this tournament and hope to continue and do the same in the finals.

Q. Jordan, without the injury, you wouldn't have had a chance to wrestle here close to home and finish up your career possibly with a national title near where you grew up. Is that kind of a situation of everything really kind of working out for you?
JORDAN BURROUGHS: Everything worked out. I believe everything happens for a reason. A lot of crazy things went on last year. For example, like you know how they have the 30 percent rule for medical red shirts. I was one match under medical red shirt rule percentage, and my grandfather had died a week before the tournament -- or excuse me, the match. I had wrestled against Minnesota, so I had to miss a match to go to my grandfather's funeral. And that one match under was the match that I missed to go to the funeral.
So definitely the realization that everything happens for a reason. I just have to stay tough and stay strong and play the cards I'm dealt and try to take everything in stride and everything that comes at me, I just have to take it in stride.

Q. You take a lot of pride wrestling for Nebraska. It's got a long history of a lot of great wrestlers. Being a two-timer would be unique. It's new. Do you take a lot of pride in the opportunity that now you might be able to leave as a two-time national champ for the Cornhuskers and raise the bar a little bit higher for a strong program?
JORDAN BURROUGHS: Definitely. It's always great to be part of an elite group in a program, coming from New Jersey and going to Nebraska, just being in an elite group by being a two-time national finalist. And hopefully being a two-time national champ, I can create my own group and have guys gunning for that group of being a two-time national champ. And hopefully I'll be able to make it on the front of the Win Magazine. I've never been on the front of any wrestling publications since I've been in college, so I'm hoping I can get on front of Win.

Q. This may be your final opportunity and it may be Nebraska's final opportunity to go out of the Big 12 and into the Big 10. Kind of making a statement. What are your thoughts on that?
JORDAN BURROUGHS: Both conferences are tough. There's only five teams in the Big 12, and a lot of people would take us for granted and think we're not as tough as we are just because of the small amount of teams. But we've got a lot of depth and talent in those programs in the Big 12.
But the Big 10 is tough. It's like a precursor to the national tournament. You're going to have 12 teams, a lot of guys battling it out for two days. I know a lot of guys on our team are looking forward to it. I know it's great for our program, so I'm definitely excited to see those guys go to the Big 10.

Q. There's been a lot of talk this week about Pennsylvania wrestling, some of the toughest in the country. But Frank Molinaro from New Jersey is also in the final. Do you want to say anything about New Jersey wrestling?
JORDAN BURROUGHS: It's the best. Frank Molinaro beat me in the state finals my junior year in high school, so I always look forward to watching him wrestle. He's a great kid and anyone who beats me I want to see successful. I don't want to see someone else that beats me be a bad wrestler, so him being an actual finalist now, I can actually have something to brag about, saying I lost in the state finals.

Q. I guess you had seen what had happened to Darrion. Would you like to have seen one more Jersey guy?
JORDAN BURROUGHS: I would love it. Me and Darrion are good friends, and it's unfortunate him having to go through an injury again after sitting out all last season. So I definitely feel for him. I went about seven months last year without putting on a pair of wrestling shoes, so anyone who goes through an injury, I definitely feel where they're coming from and sympathize for them.

Q. You probably know the legacy that Scott Winston has in New Jersey, so how was it for you to wrestle him in that match and to dominate the way you did?
JORDAN BURROUGHS: It's great. Me being from New Jersey, I always brag about New Jersey legends. And I thought Scott Winston was a New Jersey legend. Mike Graves was a New Jersey legend. Caldwell, obviously. And we just got a great elite group of guys that have been multiple-time state champs are doing well on the collegiate level.
So coming back home, being this close to Philly and New Jersey, I know a lot of New Jersey fans are drooling when they seen the match-up between me and Winston, so I was definitely excited to give those guys what they wanted to see and get some more bonus points for our team.
MODERATOR: Thanks, Jordan. Good luck tomorrow.
Joined by No. 3 seed at 165, Tyler Caldwell, who improves to 32-5. It's on to the final tomorrow. Big 12 match-up in the finals. So we'll take questions for Tyler.

Q. Are you more tired or more happy or just how are you feeling after something like that?
TYLER CALDWELL: Definitely a little bit of everything. Probably one of the longest nights I've ever been in. Went to overtime, and as tired as I was, I had to keep going all day just to get that win. I feel right now like I'm ready to go and one more match tomorrow and I'm really excited.

Q. A lot of overtimes in that match. Looks like you felt real confident in the top position, that you were going to be able to control that with him. He was really working hard to get out and you were in good position there. Did you feel like you might have an advantage in the overtime when you got past the takedown portion?
TYLER CALDWELL: Yeah, that's definitely -- I anticipated that going in that match. I knew we both wrestle very similar, both hard hand fighters, not real open on our feet and both like to get in there and bang, both real tough on top. I knew it would come down, ride out, just getting out because I knew we both would have an advantage at riding each other, so just whoever could get out that one extra one.
And I felt like that's the difference in the match last year. In the semifinals he beat me. He beat me -- I don't know what the score was even by points, but it was by the rideout. He rode me and I couldn't ride him. I feel that's where I changed this year is getting in the rideout and being able to get out on bottom.

Q. When you go that long, which is tougher you think, top or bottom? When you get really tired, which is tougher?
TYLER CALDWELL: I feel mentally being on bottom is definitely tough. You have the guy holding you down, carrying his weight. But on top, definitely you get late into those periods, you're both real sweaty, both real tired, slippery, and I feel like that's -- just holding him down is definitely the toughest part.

Q. You came really close to the Big 12 finals against Burroughs. I know you haven't had time to think about it yet. Do you have a game plan for that match?
TYLER CALDWELL: Stick to my style, stick to my wrestling and just wrestle a complete match, my style, focus on my performance and come out on top.

Q. Congratulations.
TYLER CALDWELL: Thank you.

Q. Wrestling in this match, in this championship, Jack Spates is your guy, and it's an salute from you to Jack on his retirement?
TYLER CALDWELL: I owe my success to my coaching staff. That's my goal this year is, being Jack's last season, give him the last national title, these last national champion. Now here I am. I put myself in a position to do it. Stay focused, wrestle a complete match, and hopefully that's what will happen tomorrow night.
MODERATOR: Any other questions for Tyler?
All right. Appreciate it. Congrats.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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