COLLEGE PARK, Md. - With the AU wrestling team trailing at Maryland, 12-3, midway through Sunday's meet, AU coach Mark Cody delivered an order to senior Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov.
"We're going to need you to get the fall," he told the sixth-ranked 165-pounder.
Abdurakhmanov nodded, stepped onto the mat and in just under two minutes had the Terrapins' Mason Krumholtz in a full-body grip and a momentum-swinging pin. It got the Eagles rolling as they won three of their last four matches to beat Maryland, 23-15.
It was AU's second win over the Atlantic Coast Conference team in 2005. The Eagles (3-4) won the last meeting at Bender Arena on Feb. 13, ending a 20-year drought against the Terps (1-3).
But the rematch at Comcast Center Pavilion showed how much things have changed, even from last season. AU isn't the same team, or even the same program. For the first time since he arrived in 2002, Cody's 19-man squad has depth at every weight class. This spares the Eagles the costly forfeits that once plagued them.
"It's going to help us a lot in duals," Cody said. "We needed to be two deep in every class. Hopefully we can get to the point where we're three or five deep."
It's also given more freedom to its top wrestlers. Senior Abdurakhmanov (11-0) upgraded to 165 pounds from 157. Cody said this means he can focus more on the competition and less on maintaining his weight.
"Just based on his culture, he doesn't respond well to cutting weight," Cody said of the Uzbekistan native. "I think he's going to be better off."
Against the Terrapins, sophomore Josh Glenn (11-0) also flourished in a heavier class, wrestling up from his usual 184 pounds to take on the Terps' 197-pound Jerry Afari. But the 13-pound difference didn't faze eighth-ranked Glenn.
"I've wrestled 197, 285 and gotten falls, so it's no problem," he said. "You just do what it takes to get the 'W.'"
Glenn kept the officials down and counting, but he never pinned Afari. Instead he had to settle for three near falls and about two minutes of riding time, which was enough for a 15-0 win and technical fall.
As much as he prided himself on being able to take on bigger wrestlers, Glenn hasn't had to face heavyweights lately with No. 13 Adam LoPiccolo (9-2) on the squad. The sophomore felled Bryan Reiss with a pin in the first period of the last match to finish off Maryland.
While his teammates stung their opponents, junior Dwayne Hash-Barberis (3-7) had to battle back against Dominic Buckman to win the 174-pound bout. Hash-Barberis, trailing by three in the third period, thwarted Buckman's attack from the down position for a swift reversal and takedown at the edge of the circle to come back for an 11-10 win.
Senior Iowa transfer Matt Morkel (1-1) won AU's only other decision in his first appearance since an injury at James Madison on Nov. 13. He used a late escape to get past Maryland's James Knox in the 125-pound class, 5-4.
Although the Eagles came up for wins late, they could have had an edge after the earlier rounds.
"I've been at this for such a long time that I've seen it all," Cody said. "I feel like there were a coupled matches that could be considered upsets."
Senior Tom Kniezewski (7-4) was the only AU grappler with a winning record to fall as he lost to Maryland's top wrestler, Andrew Schlaffer, in the 149-pound battle. Schlaffer sprung a third-period takedown to muck out a 4-2 decision.
