Former Penn State offensive lineman and current college football analyst Landon Tangwall joined the CanesInSight Podcast to break down Miami vs. Ole Miss with a trench-first lens. Below is everything he said about the matchup.
What is it about Ruben Bain and Akheem Mesidor that makes you call them the best defensive end combo in the country?
I just did a video on the Texas Tech defensive ends, and don’t think it’s close. Bain and Mesidor are the best duo in the country.
It starts with their get-off. Their burst forces tackles to panic about getting out of their stance, and when an offensive lineman is thinking that way, your feet get sloppy. You’re trying to retreat while blocking a freak athlete, and that’s hard enough before you factor in what they do with their hands.
Both of them can win with speed and power, and both have counters. Bain is an elite power rusher who understands leverage and has high-level bend, but Mesidor isn’t only a speed guy. He has real power moves, too. They’re constantly working their hands—two-hand swipes, long-arm looks, bull rush—then counters off everything. If they miss with their hands, they don’t stop. They keep working until they find a win.
A lot of that is coaching and reps. You see drills all the time on bags, but you don’t always see that carry into games. With these two, it’s wired into them.
Their alignments also make it miserable. On third down, you’ll see those wide-9 looks that force tackles to open up and run, and that’s when they’ll convert speed into power and collapse the pocket. Then they’ll kick inside into 4I alignments, where you’re putting them on guards who usually don’t have the same athletic profile as tackles. You saw that with Bain against Ohio State—he got inside, hit a clean move and finished.
The movement, the counters, the bend, the power, and how Miami deploys them all over the front is what separates them.
How does that build—more “DT body” than classic edge—create problems for tackles?
It gives them natural leverage, and that’s hard to deal with.
People talk about height and arm length like it’s a limitation, but from an offensive lineman’s perspective, shorter, compact rushers can be more difficult. If a guy is 6’5, there’s more surface area to strike. With Bain and Mesidor, they can get under you, get into your chest and collapse you.
Bain doesn’t struggle to get into people. He can win with power, long-arm concepts, bull rush—there’s no limitation showing up on film. Their burst off the ball plus their leverage is what makes it feel like the pocket is shrinking.
Against Ole Miss and Trinidad Chambliss, I expect more of a contain mindset. When you face a quarterback who can escape, you’ll see less of the “bend and run the arc” approach and more power-based collapsing rushes to keep him in the pocket.
What makes Miami’s tackle duo—Francis Mauigoa and Markel Bell—the best in the country?
Markel Bell is a massive human being, and he’s learned to use his length and hands well. He’s not as clean a mover as Francis Mauigoa, but his arms let him touch rushers from so far away that they can’t even get started. You saw that against Texas A&M—Cashius Howell couldn’t even begin his rush because Bell was landing that one-hand strike and shutting the rep down.
Mirabal has also helped him with independent hands. Offensive line used to be so much two-hand punching, but Bell uses newer hand-fighting tools. He can win without having a perfect set because he’s so big and so long, and he plays with a mean streak in the run game. He understands combos and doubles and how to finish people.
Francis Mauigoa is the technician. His movement is as clean as you’ll find. His first two kick steps are textbook, and then his hand fighting is high-level because he has to be. He’ll win with an outside strike, bait leverage, pull the hand away, then come back with an inside hand. Against Ohio State, his work was beautiful.
There’s a reason he hasn’t given up a sack in a long stretch and Bell hasn’t allowed one all year. When you have elite tackles and elite edges, that usually puts you in the position Miami is in right now.
How do you see Francis Mauigoa’s NFL projection with the arm-length debate? Tackle or guard?
I’m strongly against moving guys off their natural position when they’re playing at this level.
If he’s dominating at tackle, not giving up sacks against top rushers, why are we forcing him inside because of a measurement? His movement is rare, and that’s exactly what you want at tackle. A lot of tackles move inside because they can’t move well enough to deal with elite edge rushers. That’s not his issue.
I’d pay to watch him go against someone like Myles Garrett in a couple years because that’s the type of matchup his athletic profile is built for. If teams have a chart that says “below this number, you’re a guard,” that’s how you miss. Keep him where he’s elite.
Same idea with Bain. If they’re first-round caliber at their current spots, don’t get cute trying to re-slot them.
What does Miami do differently up front under Alex Mirabal—beyond just the splits?
A big part of it is how they handle movement—slants and stunts.
You’ll see reps where they don’t fire off like a traditional, aggressive set. There’s a patient first step and almost a “catch” element. You have to be careful with it, because if your line isn’t big and physical, you can get wrecked doing that. Miami can do it because they have the bodies and the technique.
If a defender is trying to cross your face, Mirabal teaches you to let him cross and take him where he wants to go. If he’s going right-to-left, you go with him and drive him left. That patience combined with violence is hard to coach and hard to execute, but when you do it, it creates big run lanes because you’re using the defense’s movement against it.
You’ll see it most against Ole Miss because Ole Miss loves movement up front. When Miami handles it cleanly, it opens cavities for the back to hit downhill.
How impressed were you with Brockermeyer against Ohio State and what’s next for him this week?
He brought it. I expected more problems against that level of power, and he held his own.
He might be one of the best pass-blocking centers in college football. He’s elite there. He did give up a couple reps, but not what I expected considering the caliber of the player across from him.
Now it’s another tough matchup. Ole Miss has Will Echoles at nose, and they run odd-front looks where he’ll get a big body directly over him trying to two-hand strike and collapse the point. That’s the stress: can they dent the interior and disrupt timing? But I’m excited to watch Miami’s line go to work again.
Ole Miss is seventh nationally in sack rate allowed. Can their quick game neutralize Miami’s pass rush?
Ole Miss gets the ball out fast, and that matters. Marcel Reed and Julian Sayin were around three seconds time-to-throw, which is long. Chambliss is about a half-second quicker on average, and that’s significant.
They thrive on easy-access throws—off coverage, quick outs, hitches, curls. Chambliss wants the clean answer.
Miami did a good job against Ohio State of taking away those quick access throws early. Ohio State tried to live in RPO and quick game, and Miami’s corners played tighter and didn’t give free yards. I expect the same approach here because Ole Miss doesn’t have a room full of burners that forces you to play soft.
Ole Miss will also move the pocket—rollouts, boots—because you have to do something to keep Chambliss clean. The key question is whether Miami allows the quick game to stay efficient. I think Miami will force them to hold it longer and make them try to beat them over the top.
How do you see Miami adjusting the rush plan with a quarterback who can escape?
You can lean into pressure packages and force quick decisions—press coverage, blitzes, make him process fast.
You’ll also see a more disciplined rush. More contain principles and more power-based collapsing rushes so he can’t escape. You can also bring pressure from depth and make the back prove he can pick it up.
Kewan Lacy is good in pass protection for a smaller back. He’s not the God-tier like Mark Fletcher as a protector, but he’ll step up and strike you under the chin strap. If you’re sending DB pressure, you need to be aware Lacy can handle some of those pickups.
What do you see when Miami has the ball against Ole Miss’ defense?
Ole Miss’ defense is the weaker side of their team, but their best unit is the defensive line.
They run odd and even looks, and they love stunts and loops. The game becomes: can Miami consistently pick up the movement? If Miami handles it the way Mirabal teaches—patience, take them where they want to go—it can create huge run lanes.
Ole Miss gives up around 150 rushing yards a game, and that’s not in line with the other playoff defenses. If Miami can run efficiently—if they’re over 4.5 yards per carry—I think the game tilts heavily Miami’s way because they can impose the kind of physical control they want.
The linebackers are average. There are a few solid players, but there are also spots Miami can stress, especially if Miami gets bodies climbing to the second level with leverage.
The DB room is where Miami can have fun compared to what they saw against Ohio State. Ole Miss has a really good free safety in Wydett Williams, but there are other stress points. Georgia attacked their strong safety and got results. Their corners can be handsy and give you penalties.
Miami’s identity is quick game—Carson Beck gets it out as fast as anyone in Power Four football—screens, hitches, quick outs, then selective vertical shots. They only took a couple fades against Ohio State. I expect them to test Ole Miss more downfield this week, especially if they get matchups they like, including Malachi Toney in the slot.
Miami is the favorite. How do you see the game playing out, and what are you watching for?
Ole Miss being without key offensive assistants matters. You can say “spot the ball,” but it impacts relationships and in-game problem solving. Players are used to certain coaching rhythms and communication. You don’t replace that easily with a GA, even late in the season.
Ole Miss’ offense will be dynamic. They’ll get it out quick, they’ll find explosives, and Chambliss will escape at times because that’s part of his game. The question is how much Miami can limit it.
For Miami, it comes down to control up front. If Ole Miss can’t stop Mark Fletcher and this offensive line and Miami is ripping off efficient runs, Miami can dictate the game. Then you take your shots where you want them—where the matchups are clean and the defense is vulnerable.
Every Miami game comes back to the trenches. Miami is better up front on both sides. The biggest chess piece is how Ole Miss tries to slow down Miami’s defensive line and keep Chambliss comfortable.
What is it about Ruben Bain and Akheem Mesidor that makes you call them the best defensive end combo in the country?
I just did a video on the Texas Tech defensive ends, and don’t think it’s close. Bain and Mesidor are the best duo in the country.
It starts with their get-off. Their burst forces tackles to panic about getting out of their stance, and when an offensive lineman is thinking that way, your feet get sloppy. You’re trying to retreat while blocking a freak athlete, and that’s hard enough before you factor in what they do with their hands.
Both of them can win with speed and power, and both have counters. Bain is an elite power rusher who understands leverage and has high-level bend, but Mesidor isn’t only a speed guy. He has real power moves, too. They’re constantly working their hands—two-hand swipes, long-arm looks, bull rush—then counters off everything. If they miss with their hands, they don’t stop. They keep working until they find a win.
A lot of that is coaching and reps. You see drills all the time on bags, but you don’t always see that carry into games. With these two, it’s wired into them.
Their alignments also make it miserable. On third down, you’ll see those wide-9 looks that force tackles to open up and run, and that’s when they’ll convert speed into power and collapse the pocket. Then they’ll kick inside into 4I alignments, where you’re putting them on guards who usually don’t have the same athletic profile as tackles. You saw that with Bain against Ohio State—he got inside, hit a clean move and finished.
The movement, the counters, the bend, the power, and how Miami deploys them all over the front is what separates them.
How does that build—more “DT body” than classic edge—create problems for tackles?
It gives them natural leverage, and that’s hard to deal with.
People talk about height and arm length like it’s a limitation, but from an offensive lineman’s perspective, shorter, compact rushers can be more difficult. If a guy is 6’5, there’s more surface area to strike. With Bain and Mesidor, they can get under you, get into your chest and collapse you.
Bain doesn’t struggle to get into people. He can win with power, long-arm concepts, bull rush—there’s no limitation showing up on film. Their burst off the ball plus their leverage is what makes it feel like the pocket is shrinking.
Against Ole Miss and Trinidad Chambliss, I expect more of a contain mindset. When you face a quarterback who can escape, you’ll see less of the “bend and run the arc” approach and more power-based collapsing rushes to keep him in the pocket.
What makes Miami’s tackle duo—Francis Mauigoa and Markel Bell—the best in the country?
Markel Bell is a massive human being, and he’s learned to use his length and hands well. He’s not as clean a mover as Francis Mauigoa, but his arms let him touch rushers from so far away that they can’t even get started. You saw that against Texas A&M—Cashius Howell couldn’t even begin his rush because Bell was landing that one-hand strike and shutting the rep down.
Mirabal has also helped him with independent hands. Offensive line used to be so much two-hand punching, but Bell uses newer hand-fighting tools. He can win without having a perfect set because he’s so big and so long, and he plays with a mean streak in the run game. He understands combos and doubles and how to finish people.
Francis Mauigoa is the technician. His movement is as clean as you’ll find. His first two kick steps are textbook, and then his hand fighting is high-level because he has to be. He’ll win with an outside strike, bait leverage, pull the hand away, then come back with an inside hand. Against Ohio State, his work was beautiful.
There’s a reason he hasn’t given up a sack in a long stretch and Bell hasn’t allowed one all year. When you have elite tackles and elite edges, that usually puts you in the position Miami is in right now.
How do you see Francis Mauigoa’s NFL projection with the arm-length debate? Tackle or guard?
I’m strongly against moving guys off their natural position when they’re playing at this level.
If he’s dominating at tackle, not giving up sacks against top rushers, why are we forcing him inside because of a measurement? His movement is rare, and that’s exactly what you want at tackle. A lot of tackles move inside because they can’t move well enough to deal with elite edge rushers. That’s not his issue.
I’d pay to watch him go against someone like Myles Garrett in a couple years because that’s the type of matchup his athletic profile is built for. If teams have a chart that says “below this number, you’re a guard,” that’s how you miss. Keep him where he’s elite.
Same idea with Bain. If they’re first-round caliber at their current spots, don’t get cute trying to re-slot them.
What does Miami do differently up front under Alex Mirabal—beyond just the splits?
A big part of it is how they handle movement—slants and stunts.
You’ll see reps where they don’t fire off like a traditional, aggressive set. There’s a patient first step and almost a “catch” element. You have to be careful with it, because if your line isn’t big and physical, you can get wrecked doing that. Miami can do it because they have the bodies and the technique.
If a defender is trying to cross your face, Mirabal teaches you to let him cross and take him where he wants to go. If he’s going right-to-left, you go with him and drive him left. That patience combined with violence is hard to coach and hard to execute, but when you do it, it creates big run lanes because you’re using the defense’s movement against it.
You’ll see it most against Ole Miss because Ole Miss loves movement up front. When Miami handles it cleanly, it opens cavities for the back to hit downhill.
How impressed were you with Brockermeyer against Ohio State and what’s next for him this week?
He brought it. I expected more problems against that level of power, and he held his own.
He might be one of the best pass-blocking centers in college football. He’s elite there. He did give up a couple reps, but not what I expected considering the caliber of the player across from him.
Now it’s another tough matchup. Ole Miss has Will Echoles at nose, and they run odd-front looks where he’ll get a big body directly over him trying to two-hand strike and collapse the point. That’s the stress: can they dent the interior and disrupt timing? But I’m excited to watch Miami’s line go to work again.
Ole Miss is seventh nationally in sack rate allowed. Can their quick game neutralize Miami’s pass rush?
Ole Miss gets the ball out fast, and that matters. Marcel Reed and Julian Sayin were around three seconds time-to-throw, which is long. Chambliss is about a half-second quicker on average, and that’s significant.
They thrive on easy-access throws—off coverage, quick outs, hitches, curls. Chambliss wants the clean answer.
Miami did a good job against Ohio State of taking away those quick access throws early. Ohio State tried to live in RPO and quick game, and Miami’s corners played tighter and didn’t give free yards. I expect the same approach here because Ole Miss doesn’t have a room full of burners that forces you to play soft.
Ole Miss will also move the pocket—rollouts, boots—because you have to do something to keep Chambliss clean. The key question is whether Miami allows the quick game to stay efficient. I think Miami will force them to hold it longer and make them try to beat them over the top.
How do you see Miami adjusting the rush plan with a quarterback who can escape?
You can lean into pressure packages and force quick decisions—press coverage, blitzes, make him process fast.
You’ll also see a more disciplined rush. More contain principles and more power-based collapsing rushes so he can’t escape. You can also bring pressure from depth and make the back prove he can pick it up.
Kewan Lacy is good in pass protection for a smaller back. He’s not the God-tier like Mark Fletcher as a protector, but he’ll step up and strike you under the chin strap. If you’re sending DB pressure, you need to be aware Lacy can handle some of those pickups.
What do you see when Miami has the ball against Ole Miss’ defense?
Ole Miss’ defense is the weaker side of their team, but their best unit is the defensive line.
They run odd and even looks, and they love stunts and loops. The game becomes: can Miami consistently pick up the movement? If Miami handles it the way Mirabal teaches—patience, take them where they want to go—it can create huge run lanes.
Ole Miss gives up around 150 rushing yards a game, and that’s not in line with the other playoff defenses. If Miami can run efficiently—if they’re over 4.5 yards per carry—I think the game tilts heavily Miami’s way because they can impose the kind of physical control they want.
The linebackers are average. There are a few solid players, but there are also spots Miami can stress, especially if Miami gets bodies climbing to the second level with leverage.
The DB room is where Miami can have fun compared to what they saw against Ohio State. Ole Miss has a really good free safety in Wydett Williams, but there are other stress points. Georgia attacked their strong safety and got results. Their corners can be handsy and give you penalties.
Miami’s identity is quick game—Carson Beck gets it out as fast as anyone in Power Four football—screens, hitches, quick outs, then selective vertical shots. They only took a couple fades against Ohio State. I expect them to test Ole Miss more downfield this week, especially if they get matchups they like, including Malachi Toney in the slot.
Miami is the favorite. How do you see the game playing out, and what are you watching for?
Ole Miss being without key offensive assistants matters. You can say “spot the ball,” but it impacts relationships and in-game problem solving. Players are used to certain coaching rhythms and communication. You don’t replace that easily with a GA, even late in the season.
Ole Miss’ offense will be dynamic. They’ll get it out quick, they’ll find explosives, and Chambliss will escape at times because that’s part of his game. The question is how much Miami can limit it.
For Miami, it comes down to control up front. If Ole Miss can’t stop Mark Fletcher and this offensive line and Miami is ripping off efficient runs, Miami can dictate the game. Then you take your shots where you want them—where the matchups are clean and the defense is vulnerable.
Every Miami game comes back to the trenches. Miami is better up front on both sides. The biggest chess piece is how Ole Miss tries to slow down Miami’s defensive line and keep Chambliss comfortable.
