How Rueben Bain Jr., Miami defense wrecked Ohio State's bid for national title repeat at Cotton Bowl

How would you grade what Miami defensive end Rueben Bain and the Hurricanes' defense brought to the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic? 

Try "Category 5." That is how Miami legend Michael Irvin described the Hurricanes from the sideline during the first half. 

"Category 5 you can't even hunker down in," Irvin screamed from the sidelines in the first half. "All s— get torn up.' 

"Hurricane Rueben" tore it up, all right. Defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. was the center of the Miami storm that overtook AT&T Stadium. He made that kind of impact in the first half and when it mattered most in the fourth quarter for the Hurricanes. 

No. 10 Miami beat No. 2 Ohio State 24-14 on Wednesday in the biggest College Football Playoff upset ever – a payback receipt from the 2003 BCS championship game the program had been dying to redeem. 

Remember, No. 2 Ohio State upset No. 1 Miami in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 3, 2003 – a game that featured 52 future NFL Draft picks. The Buckeyes took the mantle as a perennial national championship contender that night, too.

It was a role reversal this time.The Buckeyes (12-2) were the defending national champion. Ohio State allowed 8.2 points per game and had at least one consensus All-American at every level of their defense, including Kayden McDonald, Arvell Reese and Caleb Downs.

MORE: Who does Miami face next?

How Rueben Bain led Hurricanes to Cotton Bowl victory 

They just didn't have Bain. The Hurricanes (12-2) out-flanked the Ohio State offense and Heisman Trophy finalist Julian Sayin – who took five sacks in the loss. Bain – a consensus All-American – led that defense to the CFP semifinals at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8 – one step closer to a championship appearance at their home field in Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. 

Miami will face either No. 3 Georgia (12-1) or No. 6 Ole Miss (12-1) in the CFP semifinals, and that promises to be another "rock fight" which coach Mario Cristobal has embraced. He was asked about that physical play on the ESPN telecast afterward. 

"Our guys have really worked on being a physical, violent bunch and you know what?" Cristobal said before stopping himself. "Coach Johnson!" 

That's Jimmy Johnson, of course, the coach who led Miami to a national championship in 1987. Irivin, Johnson, Ray Lewis and all the legends from that heyday witnessed the next Hurricanes' icon at work. 

Bain made his presence felt in the first quarter when he set the edge by pushing Ohio State guard Austin Siereveld into running back Bo Jackson for a tackle for loss. 

RUEBEN BAIN JR. MADE THE TACKLE WHILE BEING BLOCKED 😳 pic.twitter.com/wlP4Tojdvm

Bain had a sack in the second quarter, and edge rusher Akheem Mesidor added two sacks. That dynamic pass-rushing tandem kept the Buckeyes out of sorts for the first half. Bain shielded Sayin by jumping into the air on a screen pass, which defensive back Keionte Scott jumped and took 72 yards for a TD and a 14-0 lead with 11:49 left in the second quarter. 

The Hurricanes limited the Buckeyes to 154 yards – including minus-three rushing yards – in the first half. Miami quarterback Carson Beck meanwhile, hit 14 of 18 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown. 

Ohio State struck back in the second half. Sayin heated up, the Buckeyes had two TD drives of 11 and 10 plays, respectively, and cut the lead to 17-14 on a 14-yard TD pass to Jeremiah Smith with 13:28 remaining in the fourth quarter. Bain had been mostly quiet to that point, other than drawing a double team that set up a sack by Wesley Bissainthe.

Rueben Bain leads key fourth-quarter stop against OSU

When the Buckeyes got the ball back, Bain stepped up again. After a third-and-15 conversion to Smith, Bain drew a holding penalty. Then he chased Sayin into a check-down that forced a punt. That was the defining sequence of the fourth quarter. Bain was relentless. 

Miami drove 70 yards for the game-sealing TD – a 5-yard TD run by CharMar Brown. The Hurricanes had their biggest win since the 37-14 victory against No. 2 Nebraska at the 2002 BCS championship at the Rose Bowl. 

This isn't that team. Those Hurricanes' teams had a lineage of seen-on-Sunday legends. This one is built around Beck – who finished 19 of 26 for 138 yards and running back Mark Fletcher Jr., who had 19 rushing attempts for 90 yards. Bain and Mesidor led the defense, and it was impressive. 

Sayin finished 22 of 35 for 287 yards, a TD and two interceptions. Smith – a Miami, native – had seven catches for 157 yards and a TD. Yet the Buckeyes had just 24 rushing attempts for 45 yards. They also didn't have the best player in this playoff. 

That is Bain. He has four of Miami's 12 sacks in two playoff games. He has to be in consideration to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and with this defense the Hurricanes have a legitimate chance for a national championship for the first time since that fateful night in Tempe, Ariz. Now, the Hurricanes are back, and a SEC semifinalist is next. 

Get ready to hunker down.