The No. 2 Iowa men’s wrestling team rolled Bellarmine last week in the lead-up to rivalry week on Saturday.

The second-ranked Hawkeyes are 18 points behind No. 1 Penn State but are a solid 3-0 thus far this season with minimal hiccups. That included a 49-0 crushing of Bellarmine in Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday — with two pins, six technical falls, and two decisions.

Rounding out the pack was No. 12 Ben Kueter at 285 pounds, pinning Daulton Mayer in 32 seconds, his swiftest performance this year.

“Take everybody the same,” Kueter said. “Every match has to be the same mindset. When that happens, a lot of good things will happen for me.”

But at 157, No. 1 Jacori Teemer pinned Gray Ortis in 24 seconds too, continuing his dominant run this season with inspiration from those around him.

“He’s a pretty cool cat,” Iowa head coach Tom Brands said. “And I like cool cats.”

Kale Petersen earned a technical fall in his debut at 125 pounds, a 26-6 win over Jack Parker, after receiving a forfeit win when he would’ve debuted at Stanford the week prior. Petersen looks like a lock at the weight class for the Hawkeyes despite a battle with Oklahoma transfer Joey Cruz to start the year.

And No. 9 Nelson Brands looks like a lock at 174 pounds too, beating out Patrick Kennedy for the start against the Knights and then crushing arguably their best wrestler in Grant O’Dell with a 20-5 technical fall.

While No. 7 Drake Ayala bounced back to beat Trayce Eckman in a 14-6 major decision at 133 pounds, No. 6 Gabe Arnold at 184 pounds made for a nail-biter as he squeezed by with a 5-3 win over Devan Hendricks. 

Rivalry week

Now, the No. 12 Iowa State Cyclones come to Iowa City for a dual meet on Nov. 23.

Saturday marks the Hawkeyes and Cyclones’ 88th meeting all-time, which the Hawkeyes lead, 69-16-2. Iowa has won 19 straight, 34 of the last 35, and 58 of the last 62. 

And the Cyclones’ last win came in 2004 — when a good portion of the Iowa roster was not yet even born.

“Control what you can control; go do what you’re best at,” Brands said. “Remember, it’s a big match. There’s a lot at stake this weekend, but these guys have been getting ready for big matches on big weekends for a long, long time. We always feel good about our team, and that hasn’t changed.”

Iowa State is 1-1 in duals this season, including a 23-21 loss to Stanford on Nov. 8. Iowa beat Stanford handedly the following week. But the Cyclones bounced back with a 29-9 win over Navy on Nov. 15.

They will certainly be the toughest test for the Hawkeyes yet this season, bringing a handful of ranked matchups to Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Expect a big battle at 133 pounds as Ayala has had some tests and a loss this season, now in preparation for No. 5 Evan Frost.

The Arizona State transfers will have the same, No. 4 Kyle Parco taking on the 2-0 and No. 6 Anthony Echemendia at 149 pounds before Teemer faces the 3-1 and No. 10 Paniro Johnson.

“I love it,” Teemer said. “I love it. I don’t know what he does. I don’t watch him. But I hear he’s good, but I’m just going to do what I do — go out there, score points — and I’ll get my hand raised.”

And Kueter’s own biggest test of the season will likely arrive in No. 4 Yonger Bastida, who has yet to wrestle this season, giving the former room for a big upset and a chance to prove himself in the heavyweight division.

“Every day I come in here, I’m getting better,” Kueter said simply. “That’s my mindset.”