The 2024 Independence Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 28, 2024, at Independence Stadium located in Shreveport, Louisiana. The game began at approximately 8:15 p.m. CST and aired on ESPN.[4][5] The Independence Bowl was one of the 2024–25 bowl games concluding the 2024 FBS football season. The game was sponsored by engineering services company Radiance Technologies and was officially known as the 2024 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl.
The 48th annual Independence Bowl game was originally set to feature Marshall and Army. However, Marshall withdrew from the contest after a number of its players entered the NCAA transfer portal.[6] Louisiana Tech was named as Marshall's replacement on December 14.[7] Marshall was subsequently fined $100,000 by their conference, the Sun Belt, for opting out of the bowl.[8]
Teams
The original match-up of Marshall and Army was announced on December 8. However, Marshall withdrew from the game after a plethora of players entered the NCAA transfer portal following the departure of head coach Charles Huff to Southern Miss.[9] Louisiana Tech was selected to replace Marshall.[7]
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Louisiana Tech ended their regular season with a 5–7 record (4–4 in conference play). The Bulldogs began the season with four losses in five games, then went 4–4 in their remaining eight games. They did not face any ranked FBS teams. Louisiana Tech plays their home games at Joe Aillet Stadium in Ruston, Louisiana, approximately 70 miles (110 km) east of Shreveport, Louisiana, home of the Independence Bowl.
Army Black Knights
Army played to a 10–1 record (8–0 in conference play) and earned a spot in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game, where they defeated Tulane, 35–14. They then faced Navy in the annual Army–Navy Game and suffered a 31–13 defeat. The only other team to defeat Army was the one ranked team they faced, Notre Dame. Army entered the bowl with an 11–2 record and ranked 22nd in the final College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings, 19th in the AP poll.
Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana Tech | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| No. 22 Army | 14 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 27 |
at Independence Stadium • Shreveport, Louisiana
- Date: Saturday, December 28, 2024
- Game time: 8:22 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 54 °F (12 °C) • Wind: 12 mph (19 km/h) northeast
- Game attendance: 34,283
- Referee: Jeremy Valentine
- TV announcers (ESPN): Lowell Galindo (play-by-play), Fozzy Whittaker (analyst), and Tori Petry (sideline)
- Box score
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
|
Statistics
| Statistics | LT | ARMY |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 11 | 26 |
| Plays–yards | 50–218 | 73–386 |
| Rushes–yards | 49 | 321 |
| Passing yards | 169 | 65 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 14–28–1 | 2–9–0 |
| Time of possession | 19:52 | 40:08 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana Tech | Passing | Evan Bullock | 14/28, 169 yards, INT |
| Rushing | Omiri Wiggins | 8 carries, 40 yards | |
| Receiving | Tru Edwards | 8 receptions, 92 yards | |
| Army | Passing | Bryson Daily | 2/9, 65 yards |
| Rushing | Bryson Daily | 27 carries, 127 yards, 3 TD | |
| Receiving | David Crossan | 1 reception, 52 yards |
References
- ↑ @ArmyWP_Football (December 29, 2024). "Your @IndyBowl Offensive MVP is Bryson Daily" (Tweet). Retrieved December 29, 2024 – via X (formerly Twitter).
- ↑ @ArmyWP_Football (December 29, 2024). "Your @IndyBowl Defensive MVP Kalib Fortner!" (Tweet). Retrieved December 29, 2024 – via X (formerly Twitter).
- ↑ Austro, Ben (December 9, 2024). "2024-25 bowl officiating assignments". footballzebras.com. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
- ↑ Cobb, David. "2024-25 college football bowl schedule, games, dates, locations, kickoff times, TV channels". CBS Sports. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
- ↑ Kelley, Kevin. "College football bowl schedule for 2024-25 season released". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
- ↑ Samuels, Doug (December 14, 2024). "Marshall backs out of bowl game due to loss of over 25 players to the portal". Footballscoop. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
- 1 2 "LA Tech to Play in Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl". latechsports.com. Louisiana Tech University Athletics. December 14, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
- ↑ Low, Chris (January 17, 2025). "Sun Belt fines Marshall for bowl opt-out due to player exits". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
- ↑ Salerno, Cameron (December 14, 2024). "Marshall opts out of Independence Bowl vs. Army amid transfer portal exodus, per reports". cbssports.com. CBS Sports. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
External links
- Game statistics at statbroadcast.com