Maryland football’s bowl destination has been officially announced. Maryland will face NC State in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on December 30 for a 12 PM kickoff. It will be the first-ever appearance for Maryland in Charlotte as the regional matchup, coupled with the former ACC matchup, could draw a large contingency of fans ahead of New Year’s Eve. The upcoming bowl game marks the second consecutive bowl appearance for Maryland for the first time since heading to the Military Bowl in 2013 then Foster Farms Bowl in 2014. After defeating Virginia Tech 54-10 in last year’s Pinstripe Bowl victory, Maryland will now have a chance to defeat the Wolfpack to notch consecutive bowl wins since 2008 and 2010. Maryland was also in the mix for the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix while the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit could’ve been considered the floor for postseason play, but the Duke’s Mayo Bowl was the prize given the six-hour drive between College Park and Charlotte. With a reunion against a former ACC foe, Maryland will get a chance to break the all-time series tie against NC State with a split 33-33-4 overall record. Maryland has won five of the last three matchups against NC State and back in 2013, Maryland topped NC State 41-21 back in 2013 with Locksley as the offensive coordinator in the last matchup. While head coach Mike Locksley has noted the bowl game marks the beginning of the upcoming season rather than a culmination of the current one, Maryland will compete later this month with significantly less depth on both sides of the ball. Receivers Dontay Demus and Jacob Copeland have already opted out of the finale in favor of the 2023 NFL Draft, while several eleven players have elected to hit the transfer portal including tight end CJ Dippre and linebacker Ahmad McCullough. NC State capped its regular season off with a 30-27 overtime win against North Carolina to finish 8-4 (4-4) in the tenth season under head coach Dave Doeren. After preseason ACC player of the year Devin Leary started the first six games of the season, his midseason injury led to a quarterback shuffle with three players starting at least one game this season. That hasn’t stopped receiver Thayer Thomas from climbing the record books, though, sitting in the top-five all-time in both receptions (209), receiving yards (2,428) and touchdowns (24). Linebacker Isaiah Moore leads the defense as the fifth-year starter leads the ACC’s best scoring defense (19.4 points). NC State will have a prominent void on the coaching staff, though, as news emerged Sunday afternoon that offensive coordinator Jon Beck is set to become the next head coach at Coastal Carolina. That could vault wide receiver coach Joker Phillips, Maryland's former receiver coach, to fill the void for the Wolfpack. Related Links Five-star athlete feels love during latest visit to Maryland (+) Willard reviews Illinois win, Jahmir Young’s performance, fan atmosphere Instant reactions: Maryland 71, Illinois 66 Five-star visitor (+) Friday notes (+)
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