NASHVILLE | This isn’t the momentum Hugh Freeze was looking for to end his first season at Auburn.

Maryland whipped the Tigers 31-13 in the Music City Bowl Saturday to drop AU to 6-7 on the season.

Auburn suffers a third consecutive losing season for the first time since 1977. AU hasn’t won seven or more games since 2019 and hasn’t won a bowl game since 2018.

The Terrapins dominated from the opening kickoff, rolling up 21 points and 226 total yards in the first quarter.

With the Big Ten’s all-time leading passer, Taulia Tagovailoa, opting out of the bowl game, Maryland rotated Billy Edwards Jr. and Cameron Edge at quarterback with the pair combining to complete 10 of 25 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns.

AU quarterback Payton Thorne, who Freeze gave a vote of confidence to Dec. 16, finished 13 of 27 for 84 yards with a touchdown and one interception, which was returned 44 yards for a touchdown by Glendon Miller in the third quarter.

He was replaced by Holden Geriner in the fourth quarter with the redshirt freshman completing 1 of 6 passes for 8 yards with one interception. True freshman Hank Brown came in for the final seven minutes completing 7 of 9 passes for 132 yards.

Punter Oscar Chapman had Auburn’s longest run from scrimmage with his 10-yard scamper on a fake punt from AU’s 15-yard line in the first quarter.

Auburn was held to just 300 total yards, including 76 on the ground, committed four turnovers and was 4 of 16 on third downs.

Maryland’s three-touchdown first quarter came on a 2-yard TD run by Edwards, a 5-yard TD pass from Edwards to Preston Howard and a 3-yard TD pass from Edge to Braeden Wisloski.

The first was set up by a 61-yard screen pass from Edwards to Roman Hemby and the third on a 57-yard pass from Edge to Kaden Prather

The Tigers finally got on the board late in the first half on a 3-yard TD pass from Thorne to Brandon Frazier to cap an 80-yard drive on 14 plays.

The Terrapins went into the break with a 24-7 lead on a 49-yard field goal by Jack Howes with eight seconds left.

The only second-half points came on Miller’s pick-6 and a 1-yard run by Jeremiah Cobb, which was set up by a 53-yard pass from Brown to Caleb Burton.

AU tight end Rivaldo Fairweather had five receptions for 45 yards to become AU's single-season reception leader for a tight end with 38.