From the opening moments, Rueben Bain Jr. Made it clear the night was going to belong to Miami’s defensive front.
Bain consistently won at the point of attack, setting the edge against the run and collapsing pockets as the Hurricanes overwhelmed the Ohio State Buckeyes early. But when Bain spoke afterward, his focus drifted away from stat lines and highlights and toward something deeper. Identity. Brotherhood. Trust.
“We always going to play our brand of football no matter what the outcome may be on the other side of the ball,” Bain said. “If we slipping up, we know my brother on the other side going to come fill in for us and give us energy that we need.”
That connection has defined Miami’s rise. Bain pointed to the competitive relationship along the offensive and defensive lines, where intensity in practice is understood as respect, not conflict, especially between himself and Francis Mauigoa, known to teammates as Sisi. What might look chaotic from the outside is intentional inside the building?
MORE: Rueben Bain Jr. Sets the tone as the Miami Hurricanes find their edge
“The competitiveness and the brotherhood me and Sisi got, man, I feel like that speaks to the whole program,” Bain said. “We go nuts, cursing each other out, calling each other all kinds of names just to know we are getting each other better… Knowing I love him and he loves me.”
The tone was set immediately. Bain described the first quarter as “ecstatic,” crediting the defensive line for establishing momentum.
“Coach (Jason) Taylor (defensive line coach) always says it starts first with the D line,” Bain said. “We feel like us being the leaders of the D line got to start with us.”
When Ohio State adjusted in the second half by getting the ball out quicker, Bain said the response stayed simple.
“It doesn't matter what they are doing. We got to do what we do,” he said. “Play our football.”
After the confetti fell and a meaningful bowl win was secured, Bain’s postgame mood was refreshingly grounded. Speaking with ESPN, he summed up the night with a smile.
“I’m just ready to watch Stranger Things.”
Time for Netflix before it’s off to the Fiesta Bowl.
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