Maryland is headed to Charlotte to face North Carolina State in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl
The Dec. 30 bowl invite comes after the Terrapins posted a 7-5 regular season record and will mark the first back-to-back bowl appearances for the program since 2013-2014.
“Earning back-to-back bowl berths is another significant step for our program and I’m also excited for our seniors to have another chance to play in a big-time game,” Maryland coach Mike Locksley said. “I’m also happy that our fans will be able to drive down and represent us as we take on a former ACC rival.”
Last year’s 6-6 campaign earned the Terrapins a spot in the Pinstripe Bowl, where Maryland administered a 54-10 beatdown of Virginia Tech. This year’s campaign is rewarded with a bump-up to a higher-quality game, and one that leans into more of the fun aspects of college football’s bowl season. The winning coach is typically doused after the game with a drink cooler full of mayonnaise, courtesy of the game’s title sponsor.
“It is our goal to be the most fan and player-friendly bowl game and we look forward to having a game and bowl week that will be a celebration of the Terps, Wolfpack and mayonnaise,” said Danny Morrison, executive director of host organization Charlotte Sports Foundation.
The Wolfpack enter the game at 8-4, with Top 25 wins over Wake Forest (Nov. 5) and, most recently, their 30-27 two-overtime season finale against North Carolina (Nov. 25).
Maryland finished its regular season Nov. 26 with a 37-0 home win over Rutgers, tying a program record with its fourth Big Ten win in a single season. The invite notches two bowls in two of Locksley’s four seasons leading the Terrapins.
He’ll be without a number of key contributors for the game due to transfers and draft declarations. Receivers Jacob Copeland and Dontay Demus will skip the game to prepare for a chance at playing in the NFL, while tight end CJ Dippre and linebacker Ahmad McCullough are the most notable among a handful of Terrapins who have declared their intention to transfer.
• George Gerbo can be reached at ggerbo@washingtontimes.com.
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