KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Miami Hurricanes have won three consecutive games against ranked opponents. Rueben Bain has five combined sacks in those three wins.
To say the Hurricanes mirror the performance of their junior defensive end is an understatement. And when Bain leads No. 10 Miami into the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl opposite No. 6 Ole Miss in the national semifinal on Thursday night (6:30 p.m. CT, ESPN), the Chiefs will be watching.
Feb 28, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach during the NFL combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Power defensive ends are strength of Spagnuolo defenses
The Chiefs hold the No. 9 selection in the NFL draft and Bain might as well be a Z-man sandwich, watering the mouths of patrons in line outside Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que.
ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid does not see Bain lasting past Kansas City when Roger Goodell steps to the podium in Pittsburgh on April 23.
“Bain’s game is all about power,” Reid wrote Tuesday. “He’s a heavy-handed defender who regularly overwhelms blockers at the point of attack. Capable of playing 0- to 9-technique, Bain can play all over the defensive line and has flashed in big moments during Miami’s current playoff run.
Dec 20, 2025; College Station, TX, USA; Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. (4) tackles Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver KC Concepcion (7) during the game between the Aggies and the Hurricanes at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
“At 6-foot-3, 275 pounds, Bain’s measurables might not fit every team’s wish list but would work well in Kansas City, where defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has preferred dense and powerful pass rushers. Bain had 8.5 sacks this season and would give a boost to a Chiefs pass rush that finished with only 35 sacks in 2025, tied for 22nd in the NFL.”
That Chiefs sack total wasn’t out of the norm for a Spagnuolo defense. Under the defensive coordinator since he arrived in 2019, the Chiefs had 39 in 2024, 57 in 2023, 26 in 2022, 31 in 2021, 32 in 2020 and 45 that first season.
Sep 21, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott (55) tackles New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) in the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The biggest difference was failing to affect quarterbacks on third downs. Kansas City ranked 26th in the league on third-and-long conversions. On 26 of 94 snaps (27.7 percent) of third-and-6 or longer, opponents moved the chains. That lack of pass rush on those downs hurt the Chiefs significantly in 2025.
And assuming Spagnuolo returns, Bain would help immediately, not just on third-and-long but also in limiting points. The Miami defense has allowed just 24 points over that three-game winning streak, victories over No. 22 Pitt and the first two rounds of the College Football Playoff, against No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 2 Ohio State.
Dec 31, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. (4) rushes the line during the 2025 Cotton Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Pass rush that limits points
If there’s one thing Bain does extremely well, it’s affect quarterbacks. The 2025 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, a consensus first-team All-American, is the perfect bend-but-don’t-break defensive end. He hails from the same high school that produced Dalvin and James Cook, Miami (Fla.) Central.
And here’s something that’ll impress Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who cares more about points allowed per game than any other stat: Bain’s best college season coincided with the Hurricanes improving their point total from No. 70 in the nation last year (25.3 points allowed per game) to No. 4 (13.1) in 2025.
Bain on Dec. 20 in Miami’s 10-3 win at Texas A&M finished with five tackles (four for loss), three sacks and a blocked field goal.
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