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Louisiana Tech coach Sonny Cumbie knows how to pull off a bowl game upset.

Flash back to the 2004 Holiday Bowl, when Cumbie threw for 520 yards to lead No. 23 Texas Tech to a 45-31 win over Aaron Rodgers, Marshawn Lynch and No. 4 California.

Twenty years later, Cumbie hopes to engineer another postseason surprise as Louisiana Tech (5-7) is a prohibitive underdog against No. 22 Army (11-2) in the Independence Bowl on Saturday in Shreveport, La.

The Bulldogs weren’t supposed to be a part of this game. They are a replacement for Marshall (10-3), which withdrew because of the exodus of at least 25 players through the transfer portal.

Enter Louisiana Tech, which adds local flavor as Shreveport is an hour drive from the Bulldogs’ campus in Ruston.

Cumbie said that the seniors were especially excited after they had left campus for the holiday break figuring their college careers were over.

“The first guys we got on the phone with were the seniors,” Cumbie said. “They thought it was like a prank call. They thought we were jacking with them.”

Louisiana Tech is dealing with 16 portal losses, including several linemen from a defense which allowed 301.9 yards per game, the best mark in Conference USA.

Defensive lineman David Blay, who led the Bulldogs in sacks (6.5) and tackles for a loss (10.5), has committed to Miami.

Offensively, Louisiana Tech averages just 3.0 yards per carry. The Bulldogs rely more on Evan Bullock, who has thrown for 1,932 yards and 14 touchdowns with just two interceptions.

Army has an opportunity to finish the season on a positive note after surrendering the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy in a deflating 31-13 loss to Navy on Dec. 14.

It’s also a chance for Bryson Daily to rebound as he threw three interceptions against Navy after tossing just one previously in the regular season.

Daily, who finished sixth in voting for the Heisman Trophy, is the bell cow in Army’s rush-heavy triple-option offense. He has carried for 1,532 yards and 29 touchdowns and has also thrown for nine scores.

Army will be without its second-best running threat, Kanye Udoh, who announced his transfer to Arizona State hours after the Navy game, prompting Black Knights coach Jeff Monken to call the transfer landscape “off the rails.”

“I don’t think it’s healthy to have a transfer portal window open during the season,” Monken said.

Udoh rushed for 1,117 yards and 10 touchdowns this season.

If Army can handle Louisiana Tech, it will finish with 12 wins, which would be the most in a season in program history, even if it didn’t get the one it wanted the most.

“Anytime you get your butt whipped, you want to get back out there and prove that’s not who we are,” Monken said.

This will be Louisiana Tech’s first bowl appearance since 2020 and its sixth time in the Independence Bowl, where it has a 3-2 record.

Army was last in a bowl game in 2021, and this is its second appearance in the Independence Bowl. In its first appearance, it lost to Auburn 32-29 in 1996.

Army and Louisiana Tech have met twice before, with the Black Knights winning both matchups in 2008 and 2013.

–Field Level Media