From the beginning, it’s been about getting Auburn back to a bowl game for Hugh Freeze in his first season with the program.
“I really didn’t have a vision for this year, other than to try to get us to a bowl game and improve us from week to week,” Freeze said.
Reaching six wins with still two games to play in the 2023 campaign, the Tigers did just that, clinching a bowl berth following a one-year absence. But in a time where bowl games that don’t feature championship stakes are all but losing their luster, Auburn still has a lot to play for in the season finale at the TransPerfect Music City Bowl.
A win, on top of continuing the positive momentum that comes with signing a top-10 high school recruiting class, would be the program’s first bowl victory since, ironically, its last appearance in the Music City Bowl in 2018.
It would also secure a winning season for the first time since 2020 – avoiding a third straight losing season which hasn’t occurred for the Tigers since 1975-77.
To say Saturday’s contest against the Maryland Terrapins is just another exhibition doesn't tell the full story.
“It's important to me,” Freeze said. “I think anytime we put Auburn on our jersey, it's important that we go compete.”
The Tigers’ opponent finds themselves in a familiar spot. Maryland is playing in a bowl for the third season in a row for the first time since 2006-08 – winning the New Era Pinstripe Bowl in 2021 and the Duke's Mayo Bowl in 2022.
“It's a really quality team we're playing. Coach Locksley has done a really nice job,” Freeze said.
The Terrapins finished fourth in the Big Ten East, behind Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State, with a 7-5 record – winning at least seven games for the third consecutive season for the first time since 2001-03.
A win for Maryland would secure back-to-back eight-win seasons for the first time since 2002-03 and a third straight season with a bowl victory for the first time in program history.
But the Terrapins will look a little different than the team that built up so much success over the past few seasons with the decision by quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa to opt out of the TransPerfect Music City Bowl and prepare for the upcoming NFL Draft.
“I mean, their backup has taken some good snaps and done well with that. I'm sure that he's had all the practices leading up to this. He's got some really good receivers and running backs around him. So I'm not sure if it's a huge advantage or not,” Freeze said. “We've got to play well.”
Without the Big Ten’s all-time passing leader in Tagovailoa, Maryland will turn to Billy Edwards Jr. to lead the Terps’ offense against the Tigers. Edwards Jr. has mostly seen action as a threat in the run game this past season, notably recording three one-yard rushing touchdowns against Michigan – the first Maryland quarterback with three rushing touchdowns in a game since 2014.
Edwards Jr. has started two games in his collegiate career, both in the 2022 season. Filling in for Tagovailoa due to a knee injury against Northwestern, the Burke, Virginia, native threw for 166 yards leading the Terps to a win by completing 18 of 28 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 66 yards on 16 carries.
The only other start was last season's Duke’s Mayo Bowl in which Tagovailoa was benched for just the opening drive due to a violation of team rules.
Also during the 2022 campaign, Edwards Jr. came in during the fourth quarter at Indiana and led Maryland to a win, leading the go-ahead drive and game-sealing drive, rushing five times for 53 yards with a touchdown to extend the Terps lead to 38-27.
“But again, excited that we do have Payton (Thorne) that has the experience of playing in these bowl games,” Freeze said.
With the Tigers’ quarterback already announcing his return for the 2024 season, Saturday afternoon’s contest will begin to set the tone for the season to come.
“So it's weird because you're looking so much at next season. And talking about you know, next season but we still have to finish off this season,” Thorne said. “So, we'll get focused back up at practice and then be ready to go on Saturday.”
But with transfer portal departures at the wide receiver position for Auburn with Omari Kelly, Malcolm Johnson Jr. and Ja’Varrius Johnson, the team’s leading receiver with 347 yards and three touchdowns on the season, Thorne will certainly have to rely on Auburn’s successful rushing attack and out-wide to piece together an attack against Maryland.
“I think it's exciting to see what we got moving forward,” Thorne said. “It’s an opportunity to get some of those guys a feel for the game and a good chance to make a first impression.”
Auburn is third in the SEC averaging 198.4 rushing yards per game and is fifth in the league with 19 rushing touchdowns this season. Eight different Tigers scored a rushing touchdown in the regular season.
Thorne himself added a career-high 524 yards and three touchdowns on the ground to rank 10th in single-season rushing yardage among Tiger quarterbacks.
“I think it's a great test for us but we face some pretty good ones in our conference too,” Freeze said. “We were able to run the football. It starts there. Let's find a way to run the football so that we can stay balanced.”
While the finale of the 2023 season provides both programs an opportunity to end the season on a positive note, it also could just be a preview of what’s to come next season.
Auburn and Maryland are scheduled to kick off from Nashville, Tennessee, inside Nissan Stadium at 1 p.m. CST with television coverage on ABC in the 25th TransPerfect Music City Bowl.
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Patrick is a junior from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2022.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @patrickabingham
