Akheem Mesidor and Rueben Bain Jr. have been monsters on the edge, but there is “ confidence” about the Miami Hurricanes big guys in the middle.
The Miami Hurricanes may not have led the nation in sacks like the Texas A&M Aggies and Oklahoma Sooners, finishing with 41 total throughout the regular season. However, they have a dynamic defensive duo ready to attack from the line of scrimmage in junior Rueben Bain Jr. and redshirt senior Akheem Mesidor.
Both combined for 83 total tackles, 45 solos and 38 assists, 11.5 sacks, and five forced fumbles. However, as talented as they are, it's not only those two doing the dirty work for the Hurricanes.
There's also redshirt junior Ahmad Moten Sr., who finished the regular season with 23 total tackles, 16 solos and seven assists, 7.5 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks. Sophomore Justin Scott: 19 total tackles, 12 solos and seven assists, 6.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and one sack.
Many notable Hurricanes defensive linemen are capable of causing chaos when attacking the quarterback, which will be crucial against the Aggies.
Marcel Reed doesn't only look to throw the ball, but can also run with it. The redshirt sophomore rushed 89 times for 466 yards, recording six touchdowns, throughout the regular season. He also completed 209 out of 388 passes, 61.8 percent, for 2,932 yards, recording 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
This will be the most dynamic quarter the Hurricanes will face since Tommy Castellanos in the Florida State Seminoles matchup earlier in the regular season.
However, Mesidor is "confident" in everyone's ability to step up, while most of the attention is on him and Bain Jr.
"We have guys like Ahmad Moten, who's not only big and strong, but he's also athletic and can move very well," he said. "He can pass rush. Same with [Justin] Scott, he can pass rush, move, he's strong. We have an extremely big, strong guy like David Blay, who can knock the pocket back, knock that center straight into the quarterback's lap. If Reed doesn't want to step up in the pocket due to me and Rueben coming off the edge, he's going to be running into big guys in the middle."
This game is going to be centered around matchups from every angle as both teams cancel each other out in a variety of ways. Strategies will need to be executed near perfection for something to go right for either side. It will be an electrifying game this Saturday, Dec. 20th, in College Station, Texas, at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on ABC.
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