Louisiana Tech's season isn't over. The Bulldogs learned on December 14th that they'd square-off with #22 Army in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl.

The bowl berth came after Marshall opted not to compete in the football game after too many transfer portal entries when head coach Charles Huff left for Southern Miss.

The Bulldogs and Black Knights will strap it up on Saturday night in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 PM on ESPN/KXKZ 107.5 FM.

Three Things We Learned

1 — First Bowl Game since 2020

Listen, it's never the goal to wrap up the regular season with a 5-7 record. But in this case, some of that significance does go away when you ultimately get a chance to compete in the postseason.

This will be the Bulldogs first bowl game since a 38-3 defeat against Georgia Southern in the New Orleans Bowl in 2020.

2 — Impact of the Transfer Portal

Louisiana Tech currently has 25 players in the transfer portal.

Of those 25, only QB Jack Turner and CB Cedric Woods are expected to be dressed out on Saturday night.

Where might the Bulldogs lack depth? Defensively, it *could* be an issue.

Of the 25 entries into the transfer portal, 18 are on the defensive side of the ball.

To take it a step further, Jeremiah Johnson's defense has seen 7 players leave on the defensive line.

3 — A Quick Glance at Army

Head Coach | Jeff Monken (81-57 in his 11th season at Army)

2024 Season | 11-2 (AAC Champs)

Wins | Lehigh, Florida Atlantic, Rice, Temple, Tulsa, UAB, East Carolina, Air Force, North Texas, UTSA, Tulane

Losses | Notre Dame, Navy

Points Per Game | 31.3 (43rd nationally)

Points Per Game Allowed | 16.2 (7th nationally)

Key Players | QB Bryson Daily (2,474 total yards, 38 TDs, finished 6th in Heisman voting), RB Noah Short (542 yards rushing, 2 TDs), LB Andon Thomas (95 tackles, 3.5 TFL), NK Casey Larkin (48 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 4 INTs), OLB Elo Modozie (30 tackles, 7 TFL, 6.5 sacks)

Two Questions Going Forward

1 — What do the Bulldogs have to lose against #22 Army?

Nothing. Literally nothing.

You're a 17.5-point underdog. The largest of any team competing in a bowl game this season.

You're 5-7. No one expected you to be here, much less win.

Go have fun. Go shock the world.

2 — What will Tony Franklin's role be on Saturday night?

Tony Franklin was named Louisiana Tech's offensive coordinator on December 12th. Yes, that Tony Franklin.

What will Franklin's role be against the Black Knights? We know that Franklin operates in an offensive system that is pretty easy to install, so maybe he plays a key role in the game plan?

Regardless, this was a golden opportunity for the program to get two additional weeks of practice to go ahead and introduce his system to the Bulldog offense.

One Prediction for Next Week

It's a bowl game. Can anyone really predict what is going to happen?

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