The Terrapins will take a swing at an old ACC rival later this month in the Pinstripe Bowl.
Maryland will face Virginia Tech on Dec. 29 at Yankee Stadium in New York.
Kickoff is set for 2:15 p.m. on ESPN. The game will be the 32nd all-time meeting between the Terrapins and Hokies, who were both members of the ACC from 2004 to 2013.
“We are excited to be selected to play in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl,” Maryland coach Mike Locksley said in a statement. “Returning to postseason play is the next step in the upward trend of our program. I’m thrilled that our players, especially the seniors, will have the chance to play inside Yankee Stadium and experience all of the special events that come with a bowl trip. I’m also happy that our fans will have the chance to drive up to New York City and watch us take on Virginia Tech, a former ACC rival.”
The Terrapins (6-6) will play in their first bowl game in five seasons. They became bowl eligible after beating Rutgers, 40-16, on Nov. 27. Maryland played the 19th toughest schedule in the country.
“I came here to build a program that our former players, that all of our fans could be proud of,” Locksley said after the Maryland win. “This is just one step. We want this to become the standard.”
Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa set Maryland single-season records for both passing yards (3,595) and completions (308). The junior has completed 68.4 percent of his passes and has thrown 24 touchdowns while ranking amongst the top three in the Big Ten in nearly every passing category.
Virginia Tech is (6-6 overall, 4-4 ACC) is coming off a win over Virginia to become bowl eligible in the final game of the season. The Terrapins are 16-15 all-time against the Hokies and played Virginia Tech five times when both programs were members of the ACC. The two teams last played in 2013 with a Terrapins’ 27-24 overtime win in Blacksburg in Maryland’s final season in the ACC.
The New Era Pinstripe Bowl, or “New York’s Bowl Game” was established in 2010.
“We are thrilled to be playing in the Pinstripe Bowl at one of the most iconic stadiums in the world of sports, Yankee Stadium,” Maryland athletic director Damon Evans said. “It is special to play a bowl game in the New York metro area, which has more than 40,000 Maryland alumni. This is the perfect setting for our program as we continue our ascent under Coach Locksley. He will have our team prepared and ready for competition against Virginia Tech, a familiar foe from our days in the ACC. December 29 is going to be a special day for all of Terp Nation.”
• Kevin Leitzell can be reached at kleitzell@washingtontimes.com.
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