HUNTINGTON, WV (AP) — Marshall has withdrawn from the Independence Bowl after a coaching change led to much of the roster entering the transfer portal.
The Thundering Herd were scheduled to play Army on December 28 in Shreveport, Louisiana. But the Independence Bowl and Louisiana Tech announced Saturday that the Bulldogs will face the 19th-ranked Black Knights instead.
Marshall said it withdrew “after falling below the roster minimum deemed medically safe.”
The Herd (10-3) defeated Louisiana-Lafayette 31-3 last weekend to win the Sun Belt Conference Championship for the first time. The team 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 disruption it has caused 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 announced as his replacement less than an hour later.
By Thursday, at least 25 Marshall players had entered the transfer portal.
Gibson held a meeting shortly after arriving on campus in Huntington to introduce himself to the team. He followed that up with phone calls, texts and more meetings on Friday and Saturday.
“Any time coaches leave to take other jobs, it’s emotional,” Gibson said at a news conference Thursday. “And kids aged 18 to 22 start making emotional decisions instead of just breathing for a day or two.”
It’s the first bowl for Louisiana Tech (5-7) since 2020. The Bulldogs have won two of their last three games but haven’t played since a 33-0 win over Kennesaw State on Nov. 30.
“We are excited to accept the opportunity to play in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl against a fantastic and storied program like Army,” Louisiana Tech athletic director Ryan Ivey said in a news release. “I believe our football program is moving toward a positive structure and the opportunity to play in this bowl adds to that momentum. We look forward to being in Shreveport for this game.
