NASHVILLE, TN -- Maryland won its third bowl in a row – marking the first time in school history the Terps won bowls in three consecutive seasons – beating Auburn, 31-13, at the TransPerfect Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium on Saturday. The Terps conclude the year at 8-5 for the second year in a row, marking three consecutive winning seasons for the Terps for the first time since 2001-03 and back-to-back eight-win seasons for the first time since 2002-03.
Maryland led 21-0 at the end of the first quarter, the most points scored in an opening quarter in the program's bowl history.
Both Terp quarterbacks had solid days. Starter
Billy Edwards Jr., who was named the game's MVP, threw for 126 yards and a touchdown, along with his seventh rushing score of the season to go along with 50 yards on the ground. He became the first Maryland quarterback with a passing and rushing touchdown in a bowl game since Scott McBrien in the 2004 Gator Bowl.
True freshman
Cameron Edge also finished with a touchdown, with four-of-six passing and 82 yards.
The Terps were impressive in all three phases of the game as the Maryland defense and special teams combined to force four turnovers.
Glendon Miller had a 44-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter. It was the Terps' first pick-six in a game since 2018 and the first in a bowl game since 2002.
Lavain Scruggs had his first career interception.
On special teams,
Jack Howes kicked a 49-yard field goal, the longest in Maryland bowl history. Maryland had two fumble recoveries on special teams.
Perry Fisher recovered a fumble forced by
Rex Fleming on the ensuing kickoff after Miller's pick-six. Then, Sean Greely recovered a muffed punt in the fourth quarter.
The Terps won their previous two bowl games, the New Era Pinstripe Bowl in 2021 and the Duke's Mayo Bowl in 2022.
Coach Locksley's Take
"I'm really proud of this team, proud of the way our seniors led this program. Three straight bowl wins, back to back eight-win seasons. It's not easy to do here...To be able to sit here as a three straight seasons finishing with wins at the end of the season is a testament to these kids. I love the contributions we got from some of the young players today. I love the way the veteran players led us and finished the job, which you see very rarely in college football these days, and obviously they found a way to get the job done."
Breaking Down The Action
- On the game's fourth play, Billy Edwards Jr. dumped off a screen pass to Roman Hemby that went for 61 yards to set up first-and-goal from the two. Edwards punched it in on the ensuing play to put the Terps up 7-0 just 1:49 into the game.
- Maryland doubled its lead on the following possession as Edwards capped off an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive with a five-yard touchdown reception by tight end Preston Howard, the first of his career.
- Cameron Edge hit Dylan Wade in the end zone to make it 21-0 by the end of the first quarter.
- Maryland ended the first quarter leading 21-0 and then forced a fourth-down stop at midfield to kick off the second.
- A Jack Howes career-high 49-yard field goal made it a 24-7 game in the final seconds of the first half.
- Glendon Miller opened the second-half scoring with a Pick-6 off Payton Thorne to make it 31-7, Terps.
- Auburn added a fourth-quarter score to make it a 31-13 final.
Bowl History
- The TransPerfect Music City Bowl is Maryland's 30th bowl appearance. The Terps are now 14-14-2 in bowl games.
- Maryland won a bowl game in three straight seasons for the first time in program history with the win over Auburn on Saturday.
- Michael Locksley is the first coach to win three consecutive bowl games in Maryland history.
- Maryland played in a bowl for the third season in a row for the first time since 2006-08
- The TransPerfect Music City Bowl was the 21st different bowl the Terps have played in.
- It marked the first time the Terps played an SEC team in a bowl since they beat Tennessee 30-3 in the 2002 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
- Maryland is 8-4 (.667) in bowl games since 2002, the best record by any current Big Ten team entering this year's bowl season. The Terps are coming off bowl victories over Virginia Tech (2021) and NC State (2022).
Winning Ways
- The Terps have won at least seven games for the third consecutive season, marking the first time since 2001-03 that Maryland has won seven or more games in three straight seasons.
- The Terps have won eight games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2002-03.
Big Start
- Maryland's 21-0 lead after the first quarter was the largest first quarter in its bowl history. The 21 points were the most Maryland scored in a first quarter in a bowl ever – they had scored 14 many times previously.
- The 226 yards in the first quarter are the fourth-most for any team in a quarter of a bowl this season. UCLA has the most, with 239 in the LA Bowl. The total is the most in any first quarter of this bowl season, besting Georgia State's 218 in the Idaho Potato Bowl.
- The 21-0 lead equaled Old Dominion for the largest first-quarter lead in the country in the bowl season this season. The Monarchs also led Western Kentucky 21-0 in the Famous Toastery Bowl.
Non-Conference Success
- The Terps finished the year 4-0 against non-conference opponents this season and have won 12 straight non-conference games, the second-longest streak in the country (Georgia).
- In the Locksley era (2019-pres.), Maryland's average of 40.8 points per game in non-conference play is fifth in the nation, only trailing Ohio State, Oklahoma, Alabama, and LSU.
- The Terps have scored 30-plus points in 13-of-15 non-conference games under Locksley.
Jones In The Record Books
- Jeshaun Jones moved up to sixth in career receiving yards. He passed Dontay Demus (2,008 from 2018-22) and DJ Moore (2,027 from 2015-17).
- Jones also finished fifth in career receptions with three catches in the game, giving him 149 in his career.
- With three catches today, he now has 56 catches for the season, ranking tied for 11th for most in a single season in Maryland history with Richie Harris (1992).
- Jones also stands 13th on the single-season receiving yardage list with 43 yards in the game, giving him 790 on the season.
Defensive/Special Teams Highlights
- Glendon Miller kicked off the third-quarter scoring by picking off Payton Thorne and returning it 44 yards for a touchdown. It was the first pick-six for a Maryland player since 2018, when Ravon Davis did it against Ohio State.
- On the kickoff immediately following the pick-six, Rex Fleming forced a fumble that Perry Fisher recovered to give the Terps the ball in their own territory.
- Lavain Scruggs added another interception, the first of his career.
- Sean Greely recovered a fumble on a Maryland punt, the fourth Tiger turnover of the day.
- Fa'Najae Gotay led the Terps with six tackles.
- The Terps had three sacks.
- Taizse Johnson had a 13-yard stop to give him 2.5 sacks this season.
- Caleb Wheatland also had a sack to raise his season total to 3.5 sacks.
- Perry Fisher had his first career sack to go along with that fumble recovery on special teams.
Notes & Nuggets
- Maryland now has 14 offensive plays of 40 or more yards, with Hemby's 61-yard catch and Prather's 57-yard catch against Auburn on Saturday.
- Hemby's 61-yard reception was the Terps fifth pass of 50-plus yards this season.
- Cameron Edge's first completion was a 57-yard bomb down the middle of the field to Kaden Prather, the longest pass of his young career. Edge also threw his first career touchdown pass.
- Jack Howes' 49-yard field goal at the end of the first half was the longest made field goal in Maryland bowl history. That surpassed the record of 48 by Jess Atkinson vs. Tennessee in the 1983 Citrus Bowl and Nick Novak in the 2002 Peach Bowl.
Streaks
- The Terps have now won 19 games in a row when leading after the third quarter.
- Maryland has won 16 games in a row when allowing less than 20 points.
- Delmar Glaze has started 29 games in a row on the offensive line.
Wycheck Honored At Game
- The Maryland football program and the TransPerfect Music City Bowl paid homage to the late Frank Wycheck, a former Terrapin tight end and Tennessee Titan legend, during Saturday's bowl game between Auburn and Maryland.
- Wycheck, who played for the Terrapins from 1990 to 1992, left an indelible mark on Maryland football history. The bowl game will highlight those achievements, including holding the record for the most receptions by a tight end in school history with 134 receptions.
- In addition to his accomplishments as a Terp, the ceremony will also honor Wycheck's historic involvement in the "Music City Miracle" that unfolded on the very field where Saturday's bowl game will take place. Wycheck played a pivotal role in an AFC Wild Card playoff game between the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills in 2000 that would become one of the greatest plays in NFL history.
