Three things to watch for when the Terps take on Auburn in the Music City Bowl.

The Terps will look to win a bowl game for a third consecutive season for the first time in program history Saturday, when they take on Auburn in the Music City Bowl.

Fans can expect to see plenty of new faces in key roles for the Terps due to opt outs and players having already entered the transfer portal. For this reason, the bowl game can now be looked at as the start of the next year's campaign versus the end of the current season.

Below, TSR take a look at three things to watch for when the Terps' and Tigers kickoff at 2 p.m. ET on ABC down in Nashville.

How do Billy Edwards Jr. and Cam Edge look?

With four-year starter Taulia Tagovailoa opting out of the Music City Bowl, backup Billy Edwards Jr. is expected to get the nod and have first crack at earning the job for next season.

At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Edwards is physically much bigger and stronger than Tagovailoa. Gattis took advantage of Edwards' larger frame during the regular season, frequently using him for quarterback sneaks at the goal line, where he has six rushing touchdowns.

Edwards has also shown the ability to pick up plenty of yardage with his feet while leading the offense. Last season versus Indiana and Northwestern, Edwards ran for 119 yards and a touchdown, averaging 5.7 yards per carry.

Versus Auburn, however, it will be all about seeing how well Edwards can sling the ball around in Josh Gattis' offense. Maryland's top two wideouts will both be suiting up in Nashville and Auburn will be without their two starting cornerbacks. This should give Maryland the opportunity to make some explosive plays in the passing game.

As for Cam Edge, he should see a significant number of snaps, also. He has a big arm and a poise in the pocket you expect from a starting quarterback at this level. Don't be surprised if when he airs it out his top targets are guys like back up wideout Octavius Smith Jr. and tight end Preston Howard.

Are the Terps able to establish the run?

Sophomore running back Roman Hemby is likely to get the bulk of the carries versus Auburn, but with backup tailback Antwain Littleton II having already entered the transfer portal, junior Colby McDonald will likely see an uptick in carries in Nashville.

Auburn comes into the Music City Bowl with the 81st-ranked run defense nationally and that unit will be without starting defensive lineman Marcus Harris, who opted out of the game.

With a new starting quarterback and two experienced running backs ready to run the rock, don't be surprised if the Terps look to establish the run early and show a more balanced attack than they did with Tagovailoa under center.

McDonald, who enters the bowl game averaging 6.0 yards per carry, was arguably the Terps' most impressive back this season when he was given opportunities and with Littleton out of the picture, it would not be surprising to see him get a significant number of carries if he proves to have the hot hand.

How does the defense replace Barham and Still?

The two biggest losses for the Terps' defense ahead of the Music City Bowl were starting middle linebacker Jaishawn Barham, who entered the transfer portal and has since transferred to Michigan, and senior cornerback Tarheeb Still, who opted out to start prep for the NFL Draft. Both were multi-year starters and leaders of the defensive unit.

At linebacker, the loss of Barham should give sophomore Caleb Wheatland a chance to step up and see his number of snaps increase significantly. While Wheatland isn't quite as big as Barham, at 6-foot-2, 230 pounds he is still a physical specimen capable of laying the wood.

Looking at their stats, Wheatland finished the regular season with 36 total tackles and 2.5 sacks to Barham's 37 total tackles and 3 sacks. But Wheatland played less than half the number of snaps that Barham did. This is likely a good sign for the Terps moving forward and a big performance versus Auburn would likely solidify Wheatland as the Terps' starting middle linebacker going into next season.

As for the cornerbacks, the Terps will likely be looking for one of Perry Fisher or Kevis Thomas to step up and show that they can make plays as a regular part of Maryland's defensive back rotation. Bowling Green transfer Jalen Huskey was brought in to man one of the starting cornerback spots next season, but the Terps still need to figure out who will start opposite of him and who will man the nickel role.

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