Maryland football to play Auburn in Music City Bowl
The Terps will head to Nashville to take on the Tigers.
Maryland football (7-5) will play Auburn (6-6) in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl on Dec. 30, it was announced Sunday afternoon. The game, held at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, will kick off at 2 p.m. ET and air on ABC.
“We’re excited to be selected to play in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl,” Maryland head coach Mike Locksley said in a release. “... We’re excited to get back out on the practice field and continue the development of our players before we travel to Nashville to take on a really good Auburn team.”
The Terps are heading to a bowl game for the third consecutive season for the first time since 2006-08. They were victorious in each of their last two bowl appearances, blowing out Virginia Tech in the 2021 Pinstripe Bowl and defeating NC State in last year’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
Maryland has never won bowl games in three consecutive years. It has thrice won three straight bowl appearances, but never in successive seasons.
Auburn finished the regular season with a 6-6 record, although four of its losses came to ranked conference opponents. It was an up-and-down first season for head coach Hugh Freeze, who saw his team fall to New Mexico State one week before being stunned by College Football Playoff qualifier Alabama on a last-gasp touchdown.
The Terps and Tigers have played three times, with the most recent matchup coming in 1983. Auburn leads the all-time series, 2-1.
Maryland started the season 5-0, but stumbled during a four-game losing streak. However, the Terps bounced back by winning two of their last three games, with a narrow loss to Michigan — the top-ranked team in this year’s College Football Playoff — wedged between victories at Nebraska and Rutgers.
Although they didn’t collect a signature victory during the regular season, the Terps will face the Tigers with a chance to win eight games in consecutive seasons for the first time in 20 years.
Last year, Maryland played its bowl game without top receivers Rakim Jarrett, Dontay Demus Jr. and Jacob Copeland and tight end C.J. Dippre, as well as cornerback Deonte Banks. No players have announced they will skip this year’s bowl game yet, although six have declared their intentions to enter the transfer portal. Notable entries include linebacker Jaishawn Barham, tight end Corey Dyches and defensive back Gavin Gibson.
Maryland’s offense has been led for four years by quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, who stands alone as the Big Ten’s all-time career passing yards leader. Tagovailoa stated after the team’s regular-season finale that he plans to play in the bowl game.
Unlike a season ago, few Terps grade as high-caliber 2024 NFL draft prospects. Safety Beau Brade has garnered the most attention as a potential mid-round selection, but hasn’t yet acknowledged his postseason availability.
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