The Gators have had one of the nation’s best offensive lines this season. The Hurricanes have had one of the nation’s best defensive lines.

Whichever unit outperforms the other will likely determine who wins the in-state rivalry game between struggling Florida (1-2) and surging No. 4 Miami (3-0) on Saturday.

“They all play really physical … so we’re going to have to come out and just trust in our coaches and play our brand of football,” defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. said. “Really, they are (a unit) that’s very experienced. They know what they’re doing. Like, I said, they’re a veteran group (who has) got a lot of snaps under their belt.”

Florida’s blocking has been a bright spot. The Gators have an 83.3 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus (11th in the nation) and a 75.8 run-blocking grade (14th in the nation). Four of their offensive linemen have pass-blocking grades of 80 or better. Tackle Austin Barber has the third-best pass-blocking grade of any offensive tackle with 100 or more snaps, and guard Knijeah Harris ranks sixth nationally among guards.

Center Jake Slaughter, a preseason All-American, ranks 10th among centers.

“I think he’s a very good football player,” defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman said. “(The) type of way he communicates, the way he moves … you can see in how he picks up some of the different blitzes or the job he does in the run game, passing things off. You can tell he’s a very good football player.”

Although the unit has graded out well, it has also made critical errors — particularly when it comes to penalties. Harris had a holding penalty that wiped out a long touchdown against LSU.

But the Hurricanes’ defensive line is daunting. Bain has arguably been the best defensive player in the nation. His 15 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks don’t rank particularly high on those leaderboards, but his advanced metrics are off the charts.

PFF gives Bain a 94.2 defensive grade through three games, which is first among edge rushers who have played 10 or more snaps. He is the only edge rusher in the country who has a 90 or better mark in run defense (92.2) and pass rushing (90.4).

“He’s a local guy, born and raised. Born to be a Miami Hurricane,” UM coach Mario Cristobal said. “When you get banged up after such a highly talented freshman year, that could be really, really frustrating. It changes everything. When you come back, you’re never fully back to where you were before the injury, and you really haven’t had that chance to develop further than you did before your injury. So with the amount of time that he invests, and I guess the way, schematically, that he’s been able to just make some plays that have been very impactful in the course of the game, has been awesome to watch. This means a lot to him.”

But Bain has not been the only standout on the defensive line. Veteran defensive end Akheem Mesidor has nine tackles, three tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. Mesidor also has high grades from PFF, earning an 89.9 defensive grade with an 82.4 run-defense grade and a 90.3 pass-rushing grade.

At defensive tackle, the mix of Ahmad Moten Sr. (86.8 defensive grade), David Blay (63.7 defensive grade) and Justin Scott (68.9 defensive grade) has solidified the center of the defensive line.

But the Hurricanes feel like there are still spots on the defensive line where they can improve as they prepare for Saturday’s big game. Mesidor said the unit can improve its discipline in rush lanes and keep knocking the line of scrimmage back on run plays.

“I think we’ve done well,” Mesidor said. “We can always get better. But it really doesn’t mean anything unless we keep doing it week by week. So we’ve done good enough up to now, and we’ve got to keep going.”

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/17/hurricanes-gators-trenches/