Maryland football draws Auburn in the Music City Bowl

Maryland football will try for its third-consecutive bowl win when it takes on Auburn in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30.

The Terps finished the regular season 7-5, its third-straight winning season for the first time since 2001-03. If they are victorious over the Tigers, it’ll be the first time in program history Maryland wins a bowl game in three consecutive seasons.

Proof of sustained success will be well-received by a Maryland program that has lost five players, including tight end Corey Dyches, to the transfer portal in the last week.

The Tigers finished 6-6 in their first season under coach Hugh Freeze. They are looking for their first bowl win since 2018 — one that also came in the Music City Bowl, when they demolished Purdue 63-14.

Auburn’s 2023 season will likely be best remembered for a devastating loss in the Iron Bowl to then-No. 8 Alabama. The Tigers appeared on the verge of a massive home upset over their in-state rival before the Crimson Tide scored a stunning last-second touchdown on 4th-and-goal from the 31-yard line.

That catch, arguably the most iconic moment of the 2023 season so far, solidified a .500 finish for Auburn and helped catapult Alabama to a College Football Playoff appearance.

Auburn has lost its last four duels with Big Ten opponents, including bowl losses to Minnesota in 2020 and Northwestern in 2021.

The Tigers finished the regular season with the SEC’s fifth-worst scoring offense. But that number says more about the conference than it does about Auburn  — its 27.3 points per game would have been fifth-most in the Big Ten.

Auburn’s offense isn’t what led it to bowl eligibility. Its calling card is an elite defense that more than held its own in the nation’s best football conference. That unit held opponents to just 21.9 points per game.

Taulia Tagovailoa will be challenged in his last-ever collegiate game. The Tigers allowed only 201.7 passing yards per game, the fourth-fewest in the SEC, while forcing 17 turnovers in 12 games.

Former Maryland defensive lineman Mosiah Nasili-Kite transferred to Auburn last offseason. He’s recorded 10 total tackles in five games this season after racking up nine sacks in three seasons as a Terp.

Maryland and Auburn haven’t played each other since 1983. The Tigers beat the Terps 35-23 in that game.