Marshall has pulled out of the Independence Bowl after a coaching change led many players to enter the transfer portal.
The Thundering Herd were set to play Army on December 28 in Shreveport, Louisiana. However, on Saturday, the Independence Bowl and Louisiana Tech announced that the Bulldogs would face the 19th-ranked Black Knights instead.
Marshall explained that it withdrew “after falling below the roster minimum that was deemed medically safe.”
The Herd (10-3) had just won the Sun Belt Conference Championship with a 31-3 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette last weekend, marking their first title in that conference. The program has also won seven straight games in the same season for the first time since 2020.
“We apologize for the nature and timing of this announcement and for the turmoil it has brought to bowl season preparations for Army, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, the American Athletic Conference and ESPN,” said Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill in a statement.
Coach Charles Huff left Marshall for Southern Miss last Sunday, and Tony Gibson, the defensive coordinator at North Carolina State, was named as his replacement less than an hour later.
By Thursday, at least 25 Marshall players had entered the transfer portal.
Gibson held a meeting soon after arriving at the campus in Huntington to introduce himself to the team. He followed that up with phone calls, text messages, and more meetings on Friday and Saturday.
“Any time coaches leave to take other jobs, it is emotional,” Gibson said at a news conference Thursday. “And kids that are 18-to-22 years old are going to make emotional decisions instead of just breathing for a day or two.”
This will be Louisiana Tech’s (5-7) first bowl appearance since 2020. The Bulldogs have won two of their last three games, but their most recent game was a 33-0 win over Kennesaw State on November 30.
“We are excited to accept the opportunity to play in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl against a fantastic and storied program as Army,” said Louisiana Tech athletic director Ryan Ivey in a release.
“I believe our football program is moving toward positive structure and the opportunity to play in this bowl adds to that momentum. We are looking forward to being in Shreveport for this matchup.”
