Independence Bowl Saved! Louisiana Tech Steps Up To Play Army After Marshall Opted Out Due To Player Exodus

The Marshall football program won the Sun Belt conference championship just a week ago, but will reportedly no longer play in the Independence Bowl against Army due to not being able to put a competitive team on the field. Too many players are leaving via the transfer portal. 

It's been one wild week for the athletic department at Marshall. First, it was head coach Charles Huff leaving for Southern Miss, with a lot of it having to do with the Thundering Herd deciding to move in a separate direction after the season ended. I don't think the folks making the decisions thought that the team would go on to win the Sun Belt championship, but it did, and its coach left right after. 

UPDATE: Louisiana Tech, located about 70 miles from Shreveport, home of the Independence Bowl, has stepped up to play Army in the Independence Bowl according to reports . 

Second, it was the mass exodus of current players into the transfer portal following the announcement that Charles Huff had taken the Southern Miss job. More than 25 players entered the portal this week, with more to possibly come. So, this put the football program in a very bad spot, without much of a football team to participate in the postseason bowl game. 

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Former Head coach Charles Huff of the Marshall Thundering Herd runs onto the field prior to the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on September 21, 2024. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images)

Sure, Marshall went out and hired Tony Gibson, but that did no good in the short term, especially with a bowl game upcoming on December 28 against Army. 

Because there were so many players who decided to find a new home, with a good amount of them most likely following Charles Huff to Southern Miss,