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Music City Bowl: Maryland (7-5, Big 12) vs. Auburn (6-6, Southeastern), Dec. 30, 2 p.m. ET (ABC).
Auburn leads by 6.5 points, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: Auburn leads 2-1.
What’s the danger?
Auburn coach Hugh Freeze is looking to win in his first season back in the Southeastern Conference. That might ease the pain of back-to-back losses at the end of the regular season, including a loss to Alabama on a fourth-and-31 touchdown pass in the Iron Bowl. The Tigers are trying to reverse a three-bowl skid since beating Purdue in this game in 2018. Maryland is trying to win at least eight games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2002 and 2003. A third consecutive title for the first time since 2006-08. A win for Maryland would mark its third straight win for the first time in program history.
key matchup
The Tigers’ rushing attack ranks third in the SEC, averaging 198.4 yards per game and ranking 15th nationally. Jarquez Hunter is Auburn’s top rusher with 865 yards and seven touchdowns. In the Tigers’ final game against Nashville, he had a career-high 183 rushing yards against Vanderbilt. Maryland ranks 33rd nationally in running back defense, allowing just 129.6 yards per game.
Players to watch
Maryland: Billy Edwards Jr. is set to start his third career game on Dec. 19 after quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa opted out of this game. Edwards has been more efficient as a role player, using his legs to run for six touchdowns this season. Cameron Edge was also available and went 2-for-3 passing for 18 yards. Replacing Tagovailoa will be a tall order as he left behind some school passing records and led the Big Ten with 3,377 yards passing.
Auburn: Quarterback Peyton Thorne. Not only did Thorne throw for 6,494 yards in three seasons at MSU, but he also threw for 1,671 yards and 15 touchdowns this season for the Tigers. He’s also very mobile and has run for 524 yards this season.
Facts and Figures
Maryland will be playing its 30th bowl game in history and its 21st different bowl. The Terrapins’ all-time record is 13-14-2. … This will be Auburn’s 47th bowl appearance and third time in the tournament. The Tigers are 2-0 in Music City Bowl games and have an all-time record of 24-20-2 in bowl games. Auburn is 13-6 in December bowl games, including a 10-2 record in its final 12 bowl games this month. … Maryland is playing an SEC opponent in a bowl game for the first time since beating Tennessee 30-3 in the 2002 Peach Bowl. … The Terrapins are 7-4 in bowl games since 2002, the best of any Big Ten team currently on a bowl slate this season. … Maryland is 3-0 against non-conference opponents this season. The Terrapins have the second-longest winning streak in the country against non-conference opponents, winning 11 straight games, trailing only Georgia. … Since Michael Locksley took over as coach, Maryland has averaged 41.5 points per game against nonconference opponents, ranking fifth nationally. … Auburn needs a win to become the 13th FBS team in program history to win 800 games. The Tigers’ record in 131 years was 799-466-47.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
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