Army West Point Black Knights face Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl

Shortly before the start of the Army-Navy game, the Army West Point Black Knights learned that their bowl game hopes might not be realized as Marshall withdrew from the game.

At the end of the game, the Independence Bowl found a replacement and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs will make the short drive from Ruston, Louisiana to Shreveport to face the Black Knights on December 28th.

Kickoff is scheduled for 9:15 p.m. Eastern time at Independence Stadium.

The original matchup was supposed to be a battle of conference champions, but Marshall (10-3) was eliminated after their head coach Charles Huff took the job at Southern Miss. After his departure, more than 20 Thundering Herd players moved away from the program, leaving them with few players available and uncertain about their ability to play safely.

In such a situation, bowl spots will be filled first by any remaining bowl-eligible teams that did not receive an invitation. No team meets the criteria.

At this time, 5-7 teams may be invited to a bowl game but must be ranked based on their academic progress. Normally the highest ranked team is considered. LA Tech’s APR was 126 out of 134 teams and several were rated higher.

It’s probably due in part to the Bulldogs’ proximity to Shreveport because they invite the Bulldogs as opposed to another team.

LA Tech is making its first bowl appearance under third-year coach Sonny Cumbie. Army is 2-0 against the Bulldogs.

Army (11-2) is coming off a 31-13 loss to Navy on Saturday. Even with the loss, the Black Knights can still finish the season with 12 wins, which would be an absolute first.

Army is headed to a bowl game for the first time since 2021. The Black Knights were 6-6 bowl eligible the last two seasons but did not play in a game.

The Black Knights have played in the Independence Bowl in 1996 under coach Bob Sutton. Army lost to Auburn in that game. This was also Army’s first 10-win season.

Army has played five of its last six bowl games in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, dating back to 2010. This includes four appearances in the Armed Forces Bowl and another in the Heart of Dallas Bowl (now the First Responder Bowl). The only other bowl game during this time was the Liberty Bowl.

This was a historic season for Army as they won their first conference title in school history. Jeff Monken was named American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year and quarterback Bryson Daily was named AAC Offensive Player of the Year.