Two days after winning the American Athletic Conference championship over Tulane back on Dec. 6, the Army Black Knights were notified that they would be playing in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La., for an 8:15 p.m. CT game tonight against the Marshall University Thundering Herd (10-3 overall, 7-1 conference).
For Black Knights head coach Jeff Monken, the Bowl season seemed so far down the road considering just six days after the Bowl Selection Show, Army was going to be playing in their most storied rivalry game of the season – the Army-Navy game. The entire focus of the program at West Point was geared towards beating Navy, and there was no time to look ahead at the Bowl game.
The buzz around Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., on Dec. 14, hours before the Army-Navy game kicked off, was all about the news that broke that morning – Marshall lost 36 players to the transfer portal that they could not field a team and had to withdraw from their Bowl game. By that afternoon, it was announced that Louisiana Tech Bulldogs had been named as a replacement.
“It is unfortunate that Marshall determined they won’t be able to compete in the bowl in a couple of weeks,” said Independence Bowl executive director Missy Setters in a prepared statement. “Our goal was to create the best matchup possible for our local fans and college football fans throughout the country, and we think we did that with two conference champions. Moving forward we are very excited to host Louisiana Tech and are thrilled we found an opponent for Army.”
The process of selecting and inviting a replacement team came down to sorting through a ranking of NCAA teams that finished the 2024 season with a 5-7 record, and sorting by academic progress rate scores. Teams like Cincinnati, Air Force and Wisconsin were towards the top of the list, but ultimately Louisiana Tech, which was ranked 16th out of the 17 teams, ended up getting and accepting the invitation.
“It has been a phenomenal experience for our players,” said Bulldogs head coach Sonny Cumbie. “It is unconventional a little bit on how it worked out for us and for our football team. However, in terms of the bowl system, bowl games, and the impact they have on student athletes, I wish you could have heard the excitement and joy, in particular the 16 seniors that chose to come back and play in this game when given the opportunity to come back and play together. They were ecstatic and very excited, and we are grateful to be here. We understand the impact that this game has on North Louisiana. We understand the impact that this game has on our fan base. Our kids are really excited, and we are grateful for the opportunity.”
Now that Army has had two weeks to prepare for their next opponent, Monken, too, is grateful to be here.
“We are thrilled to be here. Thanks to the City of Shreveport, Radiance Technologies and the Independence Bowl staff. We have been treated like kings here this week. It has been fantastic, and we just appreciate the opportunity to represent West Point, the Corps of Cadets, the long grey line of graduates, and the over one million men and women who serve in the United States Army,” said Monken. “It’s just a privilege to be here and play a great team like Louisiana Tech. We know they are playing right here at home, and I’m sure they’re going to have a great crowd and I know they’ll be motivated to play just like our team is.”
Army West Point finished the season 11-2 overall, 8-1 in conference play, won the AAC championship against Tulane and are ranked 19th in the nation. They have the top rushing offense in the FBS, averaging 298.9 yards rushing per game. Quarterback Bryson Daily will try to become only the third FBS player since 2000 to have more than 1,500 rushing yards and 30 rushing touchdowns. His is currently one rushing touchdown short of the mark.
“[Army] is one of the best offenses we will play, and it is the best offensive line we will play. It is the best offensive line in the country. You always want to be able to control the line of scrimmage and that will be a huge challenge against Army and their offensive line,” said Cumbie. “It is a game that in terms of eye discipline, and being at our best, we are going to have to be there…Our expectation is that they play extremely well but it is going to be a challenge.”
Louisiana Tech finished 5-7 overall and 4-4 in the conference, but three of those losses came in overtime games. The Bulldogs shut out Kennesaw State 33-0 on Nov. 30, the first shutout that Louisiana Tech has pitched since the 2019 Independence Bowl, a 14-0 victory over the Miami (Fla.) Hurricanes. The defense allows 301.9 yards per game and is ranked No. 11 in total defense in the nation. They rank 29th nationally in rush defense, 22nd in passing yards allowed, and 24th in scoring defense. Army scores an average of 31.4 points per game, while Louisiana Tech gives up only 20.5 points on average.
“That team, and the two players that were up here with coach Cumbie, have had a really great season. It was mentioned [they played in] three overtime games and five games [were decided] by one score or less, they’ve got a tremendous football team and it’s going to be a tremendous challenge for us,” said Monken. “Like coach Cumbie said, ‘there’s a limited amount of time.’ Our guys were able to get a couple of practices in during our final exam week, and then we sent the guys home for a few days to be with their families just before Christmas. We reconvened here on Christmas Eve and were able to get a practice in on Christmas day and then get another one in again this afternoon. Hopefully, that’s going to have us prepared to play our very best because we know we’re going to need to.”
According to the betting odds, Army is a 16.5 point favorite to win the Independence Bowl, but when the kickoff occurs at 8:15 p.m. CT tonight, all bets are off, as far as these two teams are concerned. It starts with a 0-0 tie and then who knows where this game might end up. Lowell Galindo, Fozzy Whittaker, and Tori Petry will call the game for ESPN.
