BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA — Miami will get a big boost to its defense for its road game against California: star defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. is set to return after missing nearly the entire season so far with an injury.
“He looked great in warm-ups last week,” Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said. “He was kind of right there (where) we could probably go this past week, but we chose — medically chose — the right route, the correct route, because it just guarantees him better health going forward. We’re excited, and I know he’s excited.”
Bain played just three plays in the Hurricanes’ season-opening win over Florida in Gainesville before leaving the game with an injury.
The Hurricanes sophomore had a breakout freshman season, earning ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors and racking up 44 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks.
“We know what kind of player he is,” Cristobal said. “It’s been since Game 1, we haven’t had Rueben, Jalen Rivers, my man, (Ryan) Rodriguez … and Damari (Brown). Those are four guys — two of them went out for the coin toss. Those are important players. They mean a lot to the team both because of what they do on the field and what they bring to the locker room, as well.”
Miami’s defensive line has not suffered much in Bain’s absence. Tyler Baron, Elijah Alston, Akheem Mesidor and several other UM linemen have the Hurricanes tied for third in the nation with 18 sacks.
“It’s great,” defensive coordinator Lance Guidry said. “Going in, you’ve got a guy coming back that’s a freshman All-American like that, and he’s gone in the first series of the Florida game. Of course, we were dependent on him, but we’ve had a bunch of depth at that positon. Seems like he’s coming back at the right time when others might be a little nicked up, so it’s good to have him back.”
College GameDay puts Hurricanes at center of college football world
ESPN’s College GameDay featured UM-Cal on Saturday, marking the first time the show ever traveled to Berkeley for a game.
The Hurricanes, of course, have been featured on GameDay before, but not since 2020.
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“I think it’s pretty cool,” Miami linebacker Francisco Mauigoa said. “A good team (in) Cal, and a really good team in the Hurricanes. I think it’s going to be a good environment. I think it’s going to be a really good atmosphere to play in. I’m excited. I think everybody’s excited. It’s a fun experience.”
Cristobal did a live interview on GameDay’s set Saturday morning, speaking with the hosts in front of a raucous Golden Bears crowd.
“What only matters here is they’ve got a great football team, we’ve got a great football team,” Cristobal said. “Let’s go kick off … and find out.”
Cristobal also cracked a joke about recruiting South Florida with his former boss, Nick Saban, and saying he was “protecting him from the Dolphins fans.”
Ott to go for Cal
Bears star running back Jaydn Ott has been dealing with a nagging ankle injury in his three games this season, but the Hurricanes could get him at full force Saturday.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Ott was at 100 percent for the first time this season.
Ott has only 133 rushing yards on 40 carries this season, but he was a preseason All-ACC pick after rushing for over 1,300 yards last season.
