Marshall University has withdrawn from the Independence Bowl after a coaching change resulted in much of its roster jumping into the transfer portal.
As reported by The Associated Press, the Thundering Herd was slated to play Army on Dec. 28 in Shreveport, La. But the Independence Bowl and Louisiana Tech announced Saturday that the Bulldogs will take on the 19th-ranked Black Knights instead.
Marshall said it pulled out “after falling below the roster minimum that was deemed medically safe.”
The Herd (10-3) beat Louisiana-Lafayette 31-3 last weekend to win the Sun Belt Conference Championship for the first time. The program has won seven games in a row 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,” Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill said in a statement.
Coach Charles Huff left Marshall for Southern Miss last Sunday, and Tony Gibson, the defensive coordinator at North Carolina State, was announced as his replacement less than an hour later.
As reported by The Shreveport-Bossier City Advocate, by this past Saturday afternoon, Shreveport had its replacement — all while the Black Knights were in the midst of losing to rival Navy in Washington D.C.
Louisiana Tech (5-7) will make its first trip to the I-Bowl since a 14-0 victory against the University of Miami in 2019. This will mark the Bulldogs' first postseason game under head coach Sonny Cumbie and first overall since the 2020 New Orleans Bowl.
