Good morning. On Wednesday night, Auburn got the first victory over Maryland in the hot chicken eating contest at Wildhorse Saloon. It was a fun night in what has been an enjoyable bowl week for the Tigers in Nashville. 

But make no mistake about it. Auburn wants a win on Saturday in the Music City Bowl.  

"We'll have a good time while we're there, but at the end of the day, we're sitting at 6-6 – we want to win this game," Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne said. "This is an important game to finish the year above .500 and have a good taste in our mouth moving forward into the offseason. We'll have fun in Nashville, but what's fun is winning."

Auburn and Maryland will kick off at 1 p.m. CT tomorrow (Dec. 30). Tickets are still available through SeatGeek. The game will be televised on ABC. You can also listen to Andy Burcham, Jason Campbell, Ronnie Brown and Will Herring, who will have the radio call on 94.3 FM, online at AuburnTigers.com and on the Auburn app.

Fans attending the Music City Bowl are encouraged to wear navy to the game. 

What else can you find mixed into today’s Brew?

🏈 Asante & Keionte: Vets lead Auburn defense on Saturday
🧡 Rivaldo Fairweather looks forward to his first bowl game
🐅 And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 The Nitty Gritty in Music City. “We've got to play some young kids, particularly in the secondary, with ours moving on to the NFL and other things,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said during a sunny pre-practice visit with reporters at Vanderbilt on Wednesday. “I'm excited to see how they perform in this [the TransPerfect Music City Bowl matchup with Maryland].”

Wednesday's two-hour workout created déjà vu for jack linebacker Elijah McAllister, a two-time captain at Vandy who earned a bachelor's and master's degrees there before transferring to Auburn this season.

"It feels amazing to finish my college career in the place where I started it," McAllister said. "We came here for the whole week to build this team, to create that true community, but the main thing is to win the game. We're tailoring our focus to Saturday but also bonding together throughout this whole week."

Fellow captains Payton Thorne, tight end Luke Deal and offensive lineman Kam Stutts also spoke to reporters before Wednesday’s practice. Thorne was thrilled to be back on the field after missing most of Auburn's pre-Christmas campus workouts because of illness.

"I'm feeling pretty good," Auburn's quarterback said. "I don't think that'll be an issue moving forward. We're here to win a football game. This isn't vacation. We'll have a good time, but we're here to play a game."

"We're excited to get on this field and get some work in," said Deal, who announced this month that he intends to return for the 2024 season. "We worked back in Auburn, but it's always a different feel when you get to the site. It's been a fun experience, but we're ready to get after it."

With some players opting out to prepare for the NFL Draft and others moving on after the Iron Bowl via the transfer portal, Auburn fans will see some fresh faces on the field Saturday, especially in the secondary and at receiver.

🔼 Thorne in Maryland’s Side. As Auburn began practicing for the TransPerfect Music City Bowl in mid-December, coach Hugh Freeze made it clear that Jordan-Hare Stadium will remain Payton's place in 2024.

"We have one of the top returning quarterbacks in Power Five with wins," said Freeze of Thorne's 22 victories as a starter at Michigan State and Auburn from 2021-23.

"I believe in Payton. I believe in Holden [Geriner], I believe in Hank and I believe in [incoming freshman Walker White]. In year one of the transfer quarterback world, who set the woods on fire? Year two, there's a few. That's my expectation for Payton or Holden, whoever wins it."

Showcasing his dual-threat ability, Thorne has completed a career-best 62.6 percent of his passes this season for 1,671 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also added 524 yards rushing, becoming 10^th in program history for single-season quarterback rushing yards.

During Auburn's three consecutive SEC wins over Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Arkansas, Thorne threw for eight touchdowns and 587 yards.

"You got a glimpse of what we could be," Thorne said. "It still wasn't perfect. We could still be a lot better than what we were, and I think that's what we're going to be next year.”

Auburn signed four elite in-state receivers on Dec. 20, five-star recruits Cam Coleman, Perry Thompson, Bryce Cain and Malcolm Simmons.

"They're going to have to learn quickly, and I'm sure they will,” Thorne said. “It's my job to teach them as much as I can and help them out as much as I can."

At Michigan State, Thorne threw to current NFL receivers Jalen Nailor and Jayden Reed, along with projected 2024 first-rounder Keon Coleman.

"I've had success with really good receivers before," he said. "They've helped me. I feel like I've helped them as well in their journey.

Since he arrived at Auburn last summer, Thorne has not had the luxury of spring practice, something from which he expects to benefit in 2024 as he seeks to serve as an extension of the Tigers' offensive staff.

"It's really important," Thorne said. "I'm looking forward to diving into it with Coach Freeze, knowing it 100 percent, and being able to teach it to the receivers.”

This will be Thorne's third start against Maryland. As a sophomore in 2021, he completed 22 of 30 passes for 287 yards and four touchdowns to lead then-No. 7 Michigan State to a 40-21 home victory over the Terrapins. In 2022, the Terps got the best of the Spartans 27-13 in College Park, Maryland, despite Thorne passing for 221 yards and a TD.

Hoping to secure a winning record for Auburn (6-6) in his first season on the Plains, the seasoned signal-caller leads the Tigers against the Terrapins on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT on ABC, hoping to end the 2023 season on a high note and generate momentum heading into 2024.

"This will be my 39^th start," Thorne said. "There's not much I haven't seen in college football. I think I'm one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the country, and I think we've got good football ahead of us still."

Go here for the “Three Questions With QB Payton Thorne” and Opening Drive segment to find out how Thorne would describe this past year, the impact of being at Auburn for a full offseason and what it’s like facing Maryland in a different uniform.

🔼 Tigers v. Terps By the Numbers. This will be the 47th bowl appearance for Auburn in program history. The Tigers are 24-20-2 all-time but have not won a bowl game since they last played in the Music City Bowl in 2018 when they beat Purdue and set the SEC record for points in a bowl (63). 

Only three current Auburn scholarship players were on that team in 2018: tight end Luke Deal, defensive back Zion Puckett and offensive lineman Kam Stutts. 

INSIDE THE SERIES: AUBURN VS. MARYLAND

Against Maryland, Auburn is 2-1 all-time. The Terrapins won a 1952 matchup 13-7 in Birmingham, while Auburn has won both contests played in Auburn. The Tigers beat Maryland 20-7 in 1958 and 35-23 in the most recent matchup between the teams in 1983. 

In 1983, it was the first time three Auburn players had run for 100 yards in the same game. Tommie Agee led the way with 24 carries for 219 yards and two touchdowns. Lionel James ran for 115 yards and a touchdown. And Bo Jackson added 105 yards on the ground. 

Auburn is 12-12-2 overall against current members of the Big Ten Conference and is 8-6 against Big Ten teams in previous bowl games.

Read the rest of the article to see the series “By the Numbers.”

🔼 The Buck Stops Here. "This offseason, we're going to put our best foot forward and be the best we can be for Auburn. This place deserves that. The fans deserve it," said Eugene Asante, who's led the Tigers in tackles in five games this season. "I want to win, and I think we can do that and be a historic team. I'm grateful to be back to build this thing for next year."

'Asante and Keionte [Scott]' don't just prevent the other team from scoring, they also produce points themselves. Scott returned a punt 74 yards for a touchdown vs. Arkansas, while Asante returned a fumble 67 yards for a touchdown against Texas A&M.

"I'm really glad that people like Keionte and Eugene are coming back to help lead us," Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said of the two vets, who will undoubtedly be leading the team against Maryland.

After considering entering the NFL Draft, Scott chose to return for his third season at Auburn for athletic, academic and professional reasons.

"The chance to excel," said Scott, who's made 41 tackles and two tackles for loss this season while returning 12 punts. "I feel like I have some more in my tank to get better. I had some more to show."

Switching from nickel to cornerback allows Scott to showcase his coverage skills while completing his Auburn University degree.

"Being able to walk across the stage and get my degree is good for me and my family. I'm trying to be the first one in my family to do so.”

With cornerbacks Nehemiah Pritchett and D.J. James opting out of the bowl game to prepare for the Senior Bowl and the NFL Draft, Scott will mentor a less-experienced secondary tomorrow at Nissan Stadium.

🔼 Fairweather Firsts. On Monday, it marked one year to the day that Rivaldo Fairweather announced he was transferring to Auburn from Florida International in hopes of elevating his game.

Fairweather found that at Auburn. The 6-foot-4, 251-pound tight end led the Tigers in receptions (33), receiving yards (349) and receiving touchdowns (6) in 2023 and was voted Second Team All-SEC by the league's coaches earlier this month. 

"A year ago, I was in the portal," Fairweather said. "Coming here and being a part of Auburn and being a part of this Auburn Family, it's just a blessing.

"Next year, I'm going to go come back 10 times harder and be First Team All-SEC and be the No. 1 tight end in the nation."
 
Fairweather made it official Tuesday, announcing his intentions to return to Auburn for the 2024 season. He's looking forward to having a full offseason to work with Payton Thorne, something the Auburn quarterback also looks forward to. 

"He's been vital to our offense," Thorne said. "I thought we got a lot of work in during the summer, but having a full offseason with him is going to help a lot. We're going to work on some things together, and we should be even sharper next year. Valdo is a great guy. I love playing with him. His future is bright."

There have been a lot of firsts this year for Fairweather. First game at Auburn. First SEC game. First Iron Bowl. And now—the first bowl game of his college career.

"I'm really excited to go out there in Nashville and have my family there and have fun," he said. "But the main thing is just getting the win."

🐅 ONE BIG THING

The I-Win-Erary. ICYMI last week, here is everything you need to be in the know for the TransPerfect Music City Bowl.

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🐅 Have a great Friday/Music City Bowl Eve, y’all!