The 2023 Music City Bowl features the 6-6 Auburn Tigers against the 7-5 Maryland Terrapins. Here is the 2023 Music City Bowl Preview.
Auburn won six games to make their first bowl game since 2021. They have defeated one bowl-eligible team this season: California. All six of their losses were to teams that qualified for a bowl game.
The Tigers score 27.3 points per game, which ranks 67th in the country. They pass for 157.1 yards (ranked 125th) and rush for 198.4 yards per game (ranked 15th).
Michigan State transfer Peyton Thorne has been the quarterback for Auburn this season. He has passed for 1,671 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions on 62.6 percent completion. Three different pass-catchers totaled over 300 receiving yards on the season. Rivaldo Fairweather, Ja’Varrius Johnson and Jay Fair had 349, 347 and 300 yards respectively this season.
Five players rushed for over 200 yards this season for Auburn. Jarquez Hunter led the team with 865 yards and seven touchdowns. Thorne was second in rushing from the quarterback position with 520 yards and three touchdowns. Damari Alston and Brian Battie have contributed from the running back position with 297 and 227 rushing yards as well.
Defensively, the Tigers give up 21.92 points per game, ranking them 35th in the country. They allow 159.4 rushing yards (ranked 80th) and 201.7 passing yards per game (ranked 30th). Eugene Asante leads the team with 84 total tackles. Marcus Harris has a team-high 5.5 sacks. After having nine passes defended and two interceptions, Cornerback D.J. James has a future in the NFL.
Maryland won seven games to make their third straight bowl game. They have one win over a bowl-eligible team this season: Rutgers. The Terrapins had one loss to a team that didn’t qualify for a bowl game: Illinois.
The offense scores 29.6 points per game, ranking them 54th in the country. They pass for 248.8 yards (ranked 21st) and rush for 108.9 yards per game (ranked 116th).
Taulia Tagovailoa returned this season for Maryland and had a solid season. He passed for 3,377 yards, 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions on 66.4 percent completion. Tagovailo has recently opted out, which means the Terrapins will turn to Billy Edwards and Cameron Edge to play in this game. Neither has played much this season. Five players have at least 200 receiving yards on the season. Jeshaun Jones and Tai Felton have both been impressive this season with 747 and 723 receiving yards respectively. Kaden Prather makes it a nice trio with 609 receiving yards.
Three players have at least 200 rushing yards on the season. Roman Hemby is the leading rusher with 663 yards and four touchdowns. Colby McDonald and Antwain Littleton II have backed him up with 283 and 255 yards this season.
The Terrapins concede 23.3 points per game, ranking 46th in the FBS. They allow 129.6 rushing yards (ranked 33rd) and 207.3 passing yards per game (ranked 40th). Safety Beau Brade leads the team with 72 total tackles. Kellan Wyatt has a team-high 4.5 sacks. Glendon Miller has registered five passes defended and three interceptions.
Maryland has more players opting out of this game than Auburn. The Tigers should be able to find some room in the running game. The Terrapins have not had the consistency this season to be trusted.
Auburn Tigers 28 Maryland Terrapins 20
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