The Miami Hurricanes have been disrespected to a certain degree, leading up to the College Football Playoff game, especially Rueben Bain Jr. However, his response may surprise you.
In every sport, rivalries can be established after one game or series. The Miami Hurricanes have only faced the Texas A&M Aggies five times since December 8th, 1944, with a 3-2 record. There's no historic bad blood, but the pot has been stirred leading up to this weekend.
It started with Aggies offensive linemen Trey Zuhn III and his "not threatened" comments about Hurricanes star Rueben Bain Jr.
"I don't think he'll be a threat that we need to worry about too much," he said. "We'll be able to handle him."
The College Football Playoffs consist of the biggest stages in the sport, with both programs appearing for the first-time ever. Many consider this first-round matchup the most competitive compared to the others. Both sides cancel each other out in a variety of ways.
Bain Jr. finished the regular season with 37 total tackles, 19 solos and 18 assists, 4.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and an interception in week one, against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for 12 yards.
However, it didn't stop there, as Aggies running back Rueben Owens II joined the spicy comments party. One of the keys to their regular-season success was rushing the ball significantly well, 192.7 total, which ranked 24th in the nation. The Hurricanes, however, are one of the best at defending the running game, to which the redshirt sophomore doesn't view as a "challenge."
"I know my guys, they're ready for the challenge," Owens II said. "They said [the Missouri Tigers] was a good run defense. We put up over 200 rushing yards."
It's worth noting that the Hurricanes held Heisman finalists and Fighting Irish running back Jeremiah Love to 33 rushing yards in their head-to-head matchup.
It's one thing to be confident, but it's another not to have respect for your opponent. The Hurricanes finished the regular season with the best win-loss ratio against ranked teams, 4-0, the best freshmen in the country in wide receiver Malachi Toney, and one of the best offensive lines in the nation. There are many great qualities about this team.
However, the Aggies appear to view this weekend's game as a walk in the park.
Bain Jr. took time to respond to all the chatter in this week's media availability:
"God bless those guys," the junior said. "They're just playing football the way they play it."
The first-round NFL prospect went viral after the Hurricanes' victory against the Fighting Irish, a historic program rival, writing explicit words all over his notebook about them. There should be no doubt in him having similar feelings against the Aggies.
Bain Jr. confirmed he saw all the comments made.
However, the beauty of sports is settling it all on the battlefields, with this case being on the football field. It all goes down this Saturday, Dec. 20th, at College Station, Texas, 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on ABC.
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