Mario Cristobal praises Rueben Bain Jr. for how he has handled increased workload

Freshman Rueben Bain Jr. is making waves for the Hurricanes. On Monday, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal discussed his defensive tackle’s uptick in playing time.

“He handles it like a veteran. The workload will continue to increase for him,” Cristobal said. Players that prove that they can handle it, and he has certainly done that. A great offseason made that possible, right? He gained about 15 pounds of muscle. Every aspect of strength and explosiveness in his body. His conditioning we’ve ramped it up, knowing that he’s playing more plays or whatnot.

“We haven’t incorporated him into special teams but he’s also a guy who serves as a reserve guy on special teams, as well. His play count will continue to go up. He deserves it. He’s impacting the game. He’s not just a guy that’s taking reps. He’s impacting the game.”

Bain made his debut in Miami’s 48-33 win over Texas A&M in Week 2. In the victory, Bain recorded one solo tackle. The 6-foot-3, 275-pound freshman followed up the solid showing with an even better outing in Miami’s 48-7 win over Bethune-Cookman on Thursday.

While Bain only made one tackle again, it was a play Miami fans won’t soon forget. After swimming past Bethune Cookman’s right tackle, Bain suplexed the team’s quarterback for a 12-yard loss. It was brutal, but promising.

Rueben Bain Jr. holds high expectations

Bain expects nothing less from himself.

“I have high expectations for myself,” Bain said in August. “I feel I can make a huge impact. I’m just really excited to play in the scheme. I’m willing to trust my coaches, and will meet the high expectations everyone’s put on me.

“I know I’ll be taking everything in, first game in Hard Rock,” Bain said. “I have family members that played before in Hard Rock, now it’s my turn. I’m excited to put on for my city. I want to be able to take in the moment, play hard football… I’m just excited to play.”

Bain’s individual contributions have shown up in Miami’s stat sheet. The Hurricanes’ defense is giving up just 271 yards per game, ranking 18th in the country. The success is a massive victory for Miami, which brought in new defensive coordinator Lance Guidry after former coordinator Kevin Steele left for the Crimson Tide this offseason.

Bain will look to add to his growing resumé this weekend. On Saturday, Miami will face off against Temple at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.