Miami 24, Ohio State 14
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Miami’s defensive end tandem of Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor was very good in 2025, and they kept up their excellent play in the playoff game against Ohio State. On the opening drive, Mesidor looped to the inside to get a third-down sack with Bain being a step behind him. Shortly later in the first quarter, Bain pushed through the Buckeyes’ left tackle to get a tackle for a loss. Early in the second quarter, Bain worked off the left guard to get a coverage sack of Julian Sayin. Shortly later, Sayin broke two tackles and kept retreating, but Mesidor cleaned up the scramble after getting by the right tackle to get his second sack of the first half.
In the second half, the Buckeyes did a better job of neutralizing Bain and Mesidor by attacking the Hurricanes’ defense up the middle on the ground. Mesidor made a tackle in the fourth quarter, chasing down a back out of his gap. Later on that possession, Bain tripped rushing the quarterback and was close to a sack, but caught a lucky break when the referee called a non-existent hold on Ohio State. A couple plays later on a critical third down, Mesidor and Bain put pressure on Sayin to force a check down.
For the NFL, Bain looks like a prospect for the middle of the first round. He is strong and quick at the point of attack. Bain shows a nice ability to shed and scrap with offensive linemen. On top of his functional strength, Bain has some speed to close, and he plays hard. Bain has an excellent motor, and he gets some sacks based on his effort. However, Bain is a tweener, as he lacks the height and length to be an NFL defensive end and the weight to be an NFL defensive tackle. Thus, some sources have him lower than others in the media.
Mesidor has speed off the edge and plays with good leverage. He is quick to close and shows an ability to use his hands and feet at the same time. With agility and loose hips, Mesidor can redirect and weave through traffic. Some team sources have said they think Mesidore could be a day-two pick. However, Mesidor could rise in the lead-up to the draft and may end up being a candidate for the back half of the first round.
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Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese and safety Caleb Downs could be among the first non-quarterbacks drafted in the 2026 NFL Draft. In the early going, they were both active and showed their special skill sets for the NFL.
Early in the first quarter, Reese made a tackle in the ground game. On the next possession, Reese beat the Hurricanes’ left tackle with a speed rush but was a split-second too late to get a sack on a third-down completion. After that, Reese was pretty quiet the rest of the game. He had a good tackle on Carson Beck in the fourth quarter to stop Beck a few yards short of a first down.
In the first quarter, Downs was very active, getting a tackle near the line of scrimmage to set up a third-and-long. The next possession, he came over from zone coverage to make a tackle along the sideline. Downs had a strong tackle on a receiver and forced a fumble that Miami recovered. However, the next play, Downs had a missed tackle on a Hurricanes ball carrier. Early in the third quarter, Downs had a touchdown-saving tackle at the second level on Fletcher as Downs took the legs out from underneath the power back. Later on the drive, Downs dished out a bone-rattling hit on Malachi Toney that forced a fumble that Toney recovered.
This tape will help Downs, as he was all over the field. He was physical as a tackler, forcing multiple fumbles, and contributing some clutch tackles on backs and receivers. He covered ground in zone coverage and was always around the ball. This tape won’t do a lot for Reese. It won’t hurt him significantly, but he was not overly impressive. Reese has a freaky skill set with size, speed, and athleticism.
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Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles could join Reese and Downs in the first round as well. He has had an excellent season for the Buckeyes and has been a superb tackler in 2025. Styles had some rough moments against the Hurricanes, including having some issues getting off blocks.
In the first quarter, Styles got run over by Hurricanes running back Mark Fletcher Jr. Early in the second quarter, Styles took a false step on a play-fake of an interior run, and that was all Fletcher needed to get open for a nine-yard touchdown reception. Styles came back to get a tackle for a loss of six yards as he read a jet sweep and fired into the backfield to get the tackle. In the third quarter, Styles blitzed off the left side and was unblocked as he chased down Beck to get a sack started for the Buckeyes.
Overall, this tape won’t help Styles. It won’t be a huge negative, but it showed that Styles is a better fit as a Will (weakside) linebacker, as his issues getting off blocks would be a problem playing as a Mike (middle) linebacker.
