Heading into No. 2 Iowa men’s wrestling’s Friday dual meet against No. 9 Illinois, 133-pound Hawkeye grappler Drake Ayala was ranked as the No. 3 wrestler in the country at his weight. On Friday, though,

Iowa wrestling's Drake Ayala and Joey Cruz discuss wins vs Illinois, including Ayala's over No.2 Lucas Byrd

No. 2 Iowa wrestling defeated No. 10 Illinois at home 28-6. The Hawkeyes stayed in control over the Fighting Illini despite many close matches between the two programs.

Tom Brands just wanted Iowa to score more points against Illinois Friday night. Despite a 28-6 win for the No. 2 Hawkeyes over the No. 9 Fighting Illini, it wasn’t enough to be satisfied. Sure, Iowa won eight of 10 bouts,

The Hawkeyes not only won all 10 bouts but also secured bonus points in seven of 10 matches, highlighted by back-to-back wins by fall from Gabe Arnold 184 pounds and Stephen Buchanan at 197. Both of their pins were in the first period, a synopsis of Iowa's dominance on the day.

The 2nd-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes kick off a big Friday night of wrestling on BTN with a top-10 Big Ten battle with the No. 9 Illinois Fighting Illini at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Plenty of numbers could tell the tale of #2 Iowa wrestling’s beatdown of #9 Illinois on Friday night. The final score? Iowa – 28, Illinois – 6. Total match points? Iowa – 69, Illinois, 21. Or how about the most basic premise in all of wrestling – takedowns scored?