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The Purdue wrestling Always Aggressive podcast welcomes special guest Earl Smith of The Open Mat to this week's show to cover last week's results at Rutgers, a preview of the Boilermakers' home tri-dual Sunday and a deeper look at the work that goes into covering wrestling on the national scene at multiple levels.

A native of Virginia and the editor for The Open Mat since 2018, Smith has been involved in covering wrestling since 2007, and has tried to be a steady influence in the sport. He takes the crew through a bit of his background with the sport and how he came to land in his current position.

Purdue split duals at Rutgers on Sunday, and head coach Tony Ersland dives into the ins-and-outs of the day with some of the Boilermakers' successes and shortfalls at the RAC. Sophomore Thomas Penola was a standout of the day, going 2-0 and improving his overall season record to 5-0.

The Boilermakers take part in their second-straight tri-dual this weekend, hosting top-ranked Iowa and No. 11 Ohio State at Holloway Gymnasium on Sunday. Purdue and Iowa matchup at 11:30 a.m. ET, live on the Big Ten Network, followed by another BTN dual with the Hawkeyes and Buckeyes at 2 p.m. Purdue and Ohio State will wrap the day, live on BTN+ at 4 p.m.

0:00 – Welcome Earl Smith
6:13 – Rankings, Rankings, Rankings
11:58 – 2021 Seeding Implications
20:18 – Why is Earl a Purdue Fan?
27:37 – Purdue at Rutgers Recap
39:28 – Thomas Penola
47:18 – Purdue Tri-Dual vs. Iowa/Ohio State

MORE THAN A GAME
The More Than A Game campaign was launched in August, in partnership with the John Purdue Club, to help the athletics department navigate the financial ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic and position Boilermaker athletics for future success.

Boilermakers and friends can make a contribution to the More Than A Game campaign by contacting their Boilermaker Athletics Representative or by visiting JPCMoreThanAGame.com. Fans can purchase a special More Than A Game t-shirt from Legends and the Purdue Team Store, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the More Than A Game campaign. To purchase the t-shirt, click here or go to PurdueTeamStore.com.

Purdue Athletics is one of only a handful of Division I athletics departments that is entirely self-sustaining: it does not receive any taxpayer dollars, general fund support from Purdue University, or student fees. John Purdue Club memberships are directed to funding the $12 million scholarship cost for student-athletes and this separate fund will help offset a 2020-21 Purdue Athletics budget shortfall that could approach or exceed $50 million.