Oklahoma State's Coleman Scott was on a roll.

The No. 4 seed knocked off top seed Nick Simmons of Michigan State in the semifinals and was off to a great start in his 2007 NCAA finals match with returning champion and No. 2 seed Matt Valenti of Penn.

Scott fired in on a double-leg shot before eventually finishing for the match's first takedown midway through the first period of the 133-pound bout.

Lethal in the top position, Scott was in control and figured to keep Valenti on the mat for the rest of the period. But following a stalemate late in the first period, Valenti exploded off the whistle, quickly turned his hips into Scott and scooted behind him for a reversal.

Valenti carried that momentum into the rest of the match, riding Scott the entire second period and escaping in the third en route to a 4-2 win.

As Valenti celebrated and flashed a "2" with his right hand to signify his second NCAA title, a disappointed Scott swung his arm downward in frustration just a few feet away.

"I just lost focus a little bit and it cost me," Scott said. "I was mad at myself that I gave up that reversal and I didn't finish the match like I needed to. That was the worst feeling I've ever had in wrestling. You train seven months and you get the only takedown of the match and lose … that's motivated me to work even harder this year. I don't want to feel that way again."

Scott, a three-time All-American, appears on course to experience a different feeling at the end of his final collegiate season. The OSU senior is ranked No. 1 nationally at 133 entering Saturday night's dual at top-ranked Iowa.

"Coleman wrestled a great tournament and he was in position to be the (national) champion last year," Oklahoma State coach John Smith said. "He got the only takedown and lost the match. Sometimes those disappointments either motivate you or you go into a little bit deeper hole. For Coleman, it's been motivating. I don't think there's any question he's doing the right things to win it this year."

Scott will lead sixth-ranked Oklahoma State into a hostile environment Saturday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.

More than 8,000 tickets have already been sold for the dual meet between the nation's two winningest wrestling programs. Oklahoma State has won a record 34 NCAA team titles. Iowa hasn't beaten the Cowboys in nearly eight years.

"I'm really looking forward to this," Scott said. "They're ranked No. 1 and it's at their place, and I'm sure they will have a lot of fans there. We're ready to wrestle and we're ready to show people that we're a team that can compete for the title. I'm real excited."

Scott is scheduled to face second-ranked Joey Slaton of Iowa. Slaton, a sophomore, is undefeated and won the 133 title last weekend at the Midlands Championships.

"Those are the matches you look forward to," Scott said. "He's been wrestling well."

Scott arrived in Stillwater, Okla., with outstanding credentials. He was a three-time Pennsylvania state champion and a two-time USA Wrestling Junior Nationals champion in freestyle.

The Waynesburg, Pa., native jumped right into the star-studded Oklahoma State lineup as a true freshman and placed eighth at the NCAA meet at 125. He was part of one of the best college teams ever in 2005 as the Cowboys won five individual national titles in St. Louis.

"It was an amazing feeling to be part of that team - it was unbelievable," Scott said. "We had five guys win it and I looked up to all of those guys. Seeing how hard they worked and what they did, that inspired me."

Scott placed fifth at the NCAAs as a sophomore as the Cowboys won the team title again in 2006. He bumped up a weight class to 133 for his junior season and followed with his runner-up finish at nationals in 2007.

"The key for Coleman is he needs to continue to focus on his offense," Smith said, "and focus on coming off the bottom."

Scott said he's enjoyed having the opportunity to wrestle for the legendary Smith, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time World champion. Smith has coached the Cowboys to five NCAA team titles and was the U.S. Olympic coach in 2000.

"Coach knows everything - he's the best coach there is," Scott said. "He knows how to adapt to everybody's different styles and personalities. He makes everybody better."

It was Smith's words of encouragement that erased some of the sting from Scott's finals loss to Valenti.

"Coach told me after the match he was proud of me and that I wrestled well," Scott said. "Then he said, 'Now it's time for you to win it.' That motivated me to work even harder."

Smith said he has enjoyed working with Scott, who has a chance to become just the 12th four-time All-American in OSU's storied history.

"Coleman has a great personality and he's a kid you want to be around," Smith said. "Student-athletes like him are the reason you coach. It's not like he hasn't tested me, because he has at times, but he's a kid with the right attitude."

As a senior, Scott has taken on more of a leadership role on a young and talented Oklahoma State team.

"It's definitely different being a senior," Scott said. "I try to help the young guys on our team as much as I can. I tell them to keep a good attitude and work hard, and it will pay off for them. We have a real good group of young kids on this team."

Scott said the Cowboys will continue to gain momentum as the season progresses.

"I think we have a great team," he said. "We just need to put a few pieces together and we'll be right there."

The 21-year-old Scott, a two-time Big 12 champion, also is a top-notch freestyle wrestler. He competed for the U.S. at the 2006 Junior World Championships.

"Coleman is looking forward to that part of his career and we'll enjoy watching him compete at that level," Smith said. "He's a promising athlete for us in the future in freestyle."

For now, Scott is focused on the final three months of his collegiate career.

And focused on having another shot at climbing atop the elevated platform to wrestle in the NCAA finals.

"I just need to put everything together and wrestle my match every time I go out there," he said. "I need to be ready for every opponent and not take anybody lightly."