We are in Nashville, Tennessee and a day from New Year’s Eve for the TransPerfect Music City Bowl between the Maryland Terrapins (7-5) and the Auburn Tigers (6-6) for their final game of the 2023 season. The Terrapins and the Tigers are meeting for the first time since 1983 in football.
Maryland beat NC State last year in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, and two years ago the Terps beat Virginia Tech in the Pinstripe Bowl, and is looking for national respectability. Bowl eligibility and playing in these national games counts for a lot and this game is nationally televised today on ABC. The next obvious step for the Terps football program is to get annual Top-25 national rankings and getting into a premiere bowl games. That is how you grow as a team and Head Coach Mike Locksley has done a great job at bringing in some top recruits — but more wins and national exposure helps.
Maryland is playing in a bowl for the third season in a row, and for the first time since 2006-2008. Maryland will look to win a bowl game in three straight seasons for the first time in program history this year. The TransPerfect Music City Bowl is the 21st different bowl the Terps have played in their history. It will mark the first time the Terps play an SEC team in a bowl since they beat Tennessee 30-3 in the 2002 Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl.
The Terps have to continue to get their talented RB Roman Hemby, the ball and establish a running game. Yes, it will be Billy Edwards, Jr. starting this game after Taulia Tagavailoa opted-out. Top target, Jeshaun Jones and TE Preston Howard will get many targets today from Edwards.
QB Billy Edwards Jr. has five touchdowns on only nine carries in his last two games (three vs. #2 Michigan, 11/18 and two at Rutgers, 11/25) and became the third FBS player over the past 25 seasons to record at least three rushing touchdowns on four or fewer rushes and three or fewer rushing yards in a single game. The others were Tulsa’s Courtney Tennial in 2008 against Central Arkansas and Texas A&M’s Joe Weber against Wyoming in 2001.
Maryland (7-5, 4-5 B1G) vs. Auburn (6-6, 3-5 SEC)
When: Fri., Dec. 30, 2023 | 2:00 Noon EST
Where: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
TV: ABC Play-By-Play: Taylor Zarzour, Analyst: Matt Stinchcomb, Sideline: Alyssa Lang
Radio: 105.7 FM (Baltimore) / 980 AM (DC) — Johnny Holliday, Steve Suter
Vegas odds: have Maryland at +4.5 as the underdogs, and the Over/Under is 48.0 points.
