Louisiana Tech to replace Marshall in Independence Bowl vs. Army
The Marshall Thundering Herd had over 20 players jump in the transfer portal this offseason once their head coach (Charles Huff) jumped to Southern Miss. And the higher ups at the school decided to withdraw from their bowl game in a few weeks. So, the Independence Bowl was scrambling for a replacement. It didn’t take them long to find one. The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (5-7 overall) will face Army in the Independence Bowl, according to Brett McMurphy of The Action Network.
The bowl game will be played on December 28th. Shortly after that report was released, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl made the news official, announcing it on their Twitter page.
The game is slated for December 28th, at 8:15 PM in Shreveport, Louisiana.
The Marshall Thundering Herd have lost 29 players to the transfer portal through the first week of the window.
The Independence Bowl is set for Dec. 28, and Dellenger said the original game matched up two American Athletic Conference teams. Army had a previously existing agreement to play before joining the conference this season.
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Teams become bowl-eligible with six wins, but depending on the number of teams to reach that mark, five-win teams can also be considered. Those programs with 5-7 records can be considered for bowl games based on their APR to help fill out the matchups.
For example, in 2023, Minnesota played in a bowl game despite winning just five games. The Golden Gophers had the highest APR of 5-7 programs, meaning they were able to play in the Quick Lane Bowl, where they defeated Bowling Green.
Marshall went 10-3 this season under Charles Huff, who left to become the next head coach at Southern Miss after leading the Thundering Herd to a Sun Belt championship. The Thundering Herd hired Tony Gibson as his replacement, but saw a slew of players enter the portal following Huff’s departure. By Thursday, 25 players hit the open market, with more to follow as the week went along.
On3’s Nick Schultz also contributed to this article.