Why You CAN'T MISS Andrew Howe v. Matt Brown
Christian Pyles


After 2 years off the Folkstyle scene, Andrew Howe is back. He’s got a new team too after transferring from Wisconsin to Oklahoma. He makes his 2013 debut this Saturday at the NWCA All Star Match against Penn State’s Matt Brown

This match pits #2 (Howe) v. #3 (Brown) ranked guys against each other. This match, in my mind, will set the tone early for what we can expect from Andrew Howe. The NCAA Champion and 3 time All American, in the minds of some (including myself) is the clear favorite at 174 this year. Many fans are taking a “wait and see” approach with Howe considering his time away, and the ridiculous depth at 174.

Personally, I’m all in on Howe. I think he’s the guy here and am expecting a 5-2 win or so. I don’t think Brown has the offense to take down Howe, nor the defense to keep him at bay for 7 minutes.

Brown had some solid wins last year beating Logan Storley (Minnesota), Evans (Iowa), Heflin (Ohio State) and Blanton (Illinois). Perry edged him by the narrowest of margins in their NCAA Final. He’s a solid position wrestler who has fine leg attacks, but I think he’s just outmatched here.

Here’s a free nugget from one of my insider pieces:

I’ve been fairly brazen in my prognostications for Andrew Howe this year. I’ve always been a huge fan of his game. He got a bit of an unfair reputation early as a guy who doesn’t score much, but looking back to when he was healthy as a Sophomore he really separated from guys. He is not the bonus machine of Ruth, Taylor or Stieber. However, he can widen the gap on guys.

I’ve found myself defending Howe on a few occasions to those who claim he’s boring, doesn’t separate, etc. I came up with this:

This is not an all-inclusive list of all his wins over quality opponents,or all his bonus point wins. This is a list of QUALITY (All American,Finalist or in Grahams case, just a really tough dude) opponents Howe has beaten soundly and separated from. He works to score for 7 minutes, it just takes him a bit longer to get points. Even still he has blown out (a4 point match is really not close in D1 wrestling imo) quite a few tough dudes.


Show me where Chris Perry, Matt Brown, Logan Storley have had THIS kind of separation against quality opponents.

Andrew Howe Dec Conrad Polz (Illinois) 6-1
Andrew Howe Maj Mike Moreno (Iowa State) 17-5
Andrew Howe Dec Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh) 9-5
Andrew Howe Tech Bubby Graham (American) 24-7
Andrew Howe Maj Peter Yates (Virginia Tech) 14-5
Andrew Howe Dec Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh) 6-1
Andrew Howe Dec Josh Asper (Maryland) 6-2
Andrew Howe Maj Cody Yohn (Minnesota) 15-5
Andrew Howe Dec Dan Vallimont (Penn State) 7-2
Andrew Howe Maj Conrad Polz (Illinois) 14-6
Andrew Howe Dec Moza Fay (Northern Iowa) 14-8
Andrew Howe Maj Conrad Polz (Illinois) 12-4
Andrew Howe Dec Dan Vallimont (Penn State) 9-3

Not to mention wins over Caldwell, Marable, Reader, Rendos, Fay, M*,Sponseller, Bonin(All All Americans).  Also there's the fact that as of last year he was one of about 3 guys on the planet who pushed Jordan Burroughs.

Here’s a quick reminder of what Howe can do when healthy: NCAA Finals

So yes, I think this is Howe’s to win Saturday. See if my Howe prediction goes up in flames already, or if I may just to be onto something with Andrew.

If you’re going Saturday, I’ll see you there! If not, you can ONLY watch LIVE on Flo Pro!