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One of the best postgame celebrations can be found this Friday. The winner of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl gets a celebratory shower, but not of Gatorade or water. A nice, full water cooler of mayo. We’ll either see Maryland head coach Mike Locksley get a mayo shower, or North Carolina State head coach Dave Doeren.
When: Friday, December 30th @ 12:00 PM ET
Where: Charlotte, North Carolina
Who: Maryland vs. North Carolina State
Spread & Total: North Carolina State -1; O/U 46
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Tale of the Tape: Maryland Terrapins
Maryland starting quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa began the year strong. Maryland was in contention with Michigan, being only one of two teams who kept it within one possession with the Wolverines. Tagovailoa threw for 2,001 yards (8.5 YPA) for 13 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions. However, an injury against Indiana slowed down Tagovailoa, and the last month of the season was a struggle. He completed 61% of his attempts (72.5% pre injury), 6.7 YPA, and threw 4 touchdowns to 1 interception. To make matters worse, Maryland is without 44.8% of their receiving production due to opt outs and transfers. Those players combined for 9 of the team’s 20 receiving touchdowns.
Maryland’s defense ranks 60th in passing yards allowed, but they faced heavy passing volume. The Terrapins ranked 20th in defensive YPA at 6.3 yards. Neither defensive sacks (24; T-78th nationally) and interceptions (7; T-94th) ranked well nationally. Maryland allowed just 3.9 YPC on the ground defensively, forcing 10 fumbles.
Opt Outs
WR Rakim Jarrett
(Tied for team lead with 40 receptions. 471 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns)
WR Jacob Copeland
(26 receptions for 376 yards (14.5 YPC) and 2 touchdowns)
WR Dontay Demus Jr.
CB Deonte Banks
(38 tackles; 8 pass deflections ranked 2nd on team)
Transfer Portal Departures:
TE C.J. Dippre (30 receptions for 314 yards and 3 touchdowns)
TE Weston Wolff
G Ja’Khi Green
DT Zion Shockley
DT Austin Fontaine
EDGE Tyler Baylor
LB Ahmad McCullough (45 tackles, 4th most on team)
S Isaiah Hazel
S Shane Mosley
Players to Know:
WR Jeshaun Jones
Leads the team with 40 receptions for 478 yards and 4 touchdowns. Should be Taulia Tagovailoa’s go to target with the absence at receiver and tight end
DB Beau Brade
Leads team with 78 tackles (4 for loss). 5 pass deflections and 2 interceptions
Tale of the Tape: North Carolina State Wolfpack
North Carolina State started the year hot with Devin Leary, going 5-1 with the lone loss coming on the road to Clemson. But Leary went down against Florida State and was lost for the season. NC State rotated in three quarterbacks in the second half of the season – MJ Morris, Jack Chambers, and Ben Finley – but found a way to go 3-3. At the time of this writing, it is uncertain if Morris or Finley will start the bowl game. North Carolina State’s offensive coordinator Tim Beck accepted the Coastal Carolina head coaching position. Play calling duties will have multiple inputs from different positional coaches, per head coach Doeren.
Defensively is where the Wolfpack shine. The Wolfpack picked off opposing quarterbacks 17 times, tied for the 3rd most in the country. They were one of 10 teams who forced more interceptions than touchdowns allowed. NC State’s run defense allowed 3.5 YPC,
Opt Outs: N/A
Transfer Portal Departures:
QB Devin Leary
(Started 6 games; 5-1 with lone loss at Clemson. 11 touchdowns to 4 interceptions)
WR Devin Carter
(25 receptions for 406 yards (2nd most on team) and 2 touchdowns)
WR Jasiah Provillon
DT Joshua Harris
EDGE Claude Larkins
CB Joshua Pierre-Louis
Player to Know:
DB Aydan White
All-ACC First Team. 41 tackles. Led team with 8 pass deflections and 4 interceptions
LB Drake Thomas
All-ACC Second Team. 90 tackles (13.5 for loss) led team. Also led team with 6.5 sacks, while adding 4 pass deflections.
Bowl Game Trends:
- ACC has lost L3 Mayo Bowls
- Underdog has won 3 of last 4
- 71st meeting between two schools (Tied at 33-33-4)
Game Synopsis:
Maryland is without so many pieces in their passing game. And while their running game is still in tack, it’s not the strength of their offense. North Carolina State’s quarterback is still in question, but Morris played well when he was in. And when he couldn’t go, while it took some time, Finley did impress against North Carolina. NC State’s defense is superior to Maryland’s, and I think this helps a team with quarterback questions. State takes this one
Bowl Mania Pick To Win: North Carolina State
Bowl Mania Confidence: 9/43
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