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NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPSMarch 21, 2014Chris PerryOKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA 174 POUNDS THE MODERATOR: Chris Perry, Oklahoma State University. Q. Chris, you talked some after the win over Al a couple weeks ago, you rode him out.  That was the difference, the riding time point. You talked about your strategy you kind of adjusted from match one to match two. Do you feel like you can take that same strategy you had two weeks ago, or are you going to have to do something different tomorrow night? CHRIS PERRY: I'll take bits and pieces, but nothing new. I'm coming after him tomorrow. It's not a strategy. I'm going to have to take him down, and I know that. And I did it again tonight; I didn't get a takedown, put myself in a tight situation. And that's not how you ‑‑ you can't win. Can't beat a guy like Andrew Howe doing what I did tonight. That's not even going to get close. Q. Such an emotional win tonight. Just talk about refocusing so quickly, turning around and getting ready for Andrew. CHRIS PERRY: Just an emotional win. The team race is getting tight. I knew it. I want to win this team title. We came here believing we could, and putting four guys in the Finals is something we thought we could do, but I might have to wrestle way better tomorrow, plain and simple. I cannot go out and wrestle Howe like that. That's for sure. I went out and strategized the match and I can't do it. And I sometimes can get in that mood and I end up doing it and not competing like I know I can, and but you can't do it against a guy like Andrew. Q. How much danger did you feel at the end of regulation there? CHRIS PERRY: In the last ten seconds? Q. Yeah. CHRIS PERRY: None. The one where I was upside down is a little bit. Obviously you don't want to be in there. But was there against Howe, was there against him last time. Been there about five times. I'm fortunate and just don't want to be there. Stop I've been competitive? I mean, people want‑‑ what, you want me to bail out and give him the takedown? I gotta hang on, find a way. You know, like big risk/big reward. I get pinned, I lose. Gotta hang on and it rewarded me. Didn't give up the takedown, didn't lose the match. Was I in danger? Yeah, absolutely. But I can feel where I'm at, and I can't be in those situations, though. Not going to cut it at the end. Q. In Oklahoma City against your Bedlam rival, could you have thought of a better way to go out in your college career? CHRIS PERRY: No. This is what I wanted. I didn't want anybody else. Nothing like that. I just know this is the guy people think is better than me. Hands down, people believe this guy's way better than me, and they think I stole one in Norman. I want to go out tomorrow and prove that I can beat him twice. But I'm going to have to come out with a better wrestling mat, that's for sure, for sure. Q. Obviously we're used to you being pretty stoic. Talk about the outburst after that kind of the guns up there. CHRIS PERRY: You know, I've been booed my whole life. I'm going to have it. I'm not the prettiest wrestler. I'm not David Taylor. I'm not going to beat you 15‑0 out there all the time. But I win. Sometimes you just get caught up in the moment. I probably shouldn't have done what I did. I apologize to the Iowa fans. But at the same time, it's emotions. They don't understand what we go through. They don't understand how hard it is to ride a guy out for two minutes when you're down. Well, 90percent of guys are going to cut a guy and try to take him down. I had to ride a guy out for two minutes. They don't know how hard that is. I understand they're rooting for their guy. But I've been booed my whole life. I've been called a staller. Doesn't bother me. I keep winning and I love winning. Q. Chris, the NCAA changes the schedule for the Finals. If they picked your weight class, you and Andrew, for the last match, would that be something that you would be excited about? Is it something that you think you guys could put on a good show? CHRIS PERRY: Yes, I did it at Bedlam. Best match of the night obviously. The crowd was into it. The place was rocking. Whatever they want to throw at me, I've trained through it. I know mentally I can be ready for anything. Nothing's going to throw me off my game. If we're dead last, we're dead last, I'd be excited. If we're first, we're first. I was first last year. I was the first match of the NCAA tournament last year, so I could go from first to last now, and it doesn't bother me. Q. You said people thought that Howe may be better than you, he won the last match, whatever. Does it bother you that you're the defending champ and they're saying that? CHRIS PERRY: No. Andrew is a great wrestler. He's been the closest thing‑‑ you know, before Marable beat Burroughs, he's been the closest thing to beating Burroughs. He's been in the Olympic Trial Finals, the World Trial Finals. He's a competitor. I respect Howe. I know he's good. But I mean, that's why I'm in this. I don't want to go up. When I found out he was coming down, I didn't want to go down. I want him right where he was at. Same thing when somebody like‑‑ his sophomore year, everybody was‑‑ Ruth was the guy, and he was the guy. He's the best guy. He was better than me at the time. But I believed and I loved having that guy to train for. Same thing with my teammate Tyler Caldwell. Same exact way. He wants David Taylor. We want Andrew Howe. Those are the matches we train for. That's what we think about at night. I might almost look past that match too much when I went out there. And that's why I came out slow. And I got some guys in my ear a little bit, telling me let's go up put points. Let's major him. I'm like, I just barely won. Before the match, I'm thinking two, three, takedowns, and I get none. But it is what it is. But you just gotta keep moving forward. Q. You mentioned the team aspect how. Big was that for Josh to come up with that big victory to really start things for you guys in the semifinals? CHRIS PERRY: Josh Kindig, he's been through a lot. People don't understand what Josh Kindig has been through. Injuries and stuff. He's battled through. Being off the mat for a long time in his life. He was off for quite a while last summer. He hurt something, and that's tough. I love training. I couldn't imagine spending the time that he couldn't off the mat. I would have felt like somebody was gaining ground on me. And Josh Kindig is a tough kid, man. You don't do what he did unless you're just a tough dude. That's impressive, what he did. Very impressive. One of the most impressive things I've ever seen. Q. Chris, before and after a lot of your matches, no matter how big this year, you would say, well, you know, it's just another match. Is tomorrow just another match? CHRIS PERRY: No. Not at all. It's the NCAA Finals. No, tomorrow is‑‑ Big 12's was another match. If I knew I was going to win tomorrow, he could have the Big 12. That's what it means. He can have it. He can have all four of mine. I just want that one. That's what I'm coming out‑‑ this is what I've been waiting on. This is what I train for, this guy and this time. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Chris. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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