Last Word on College Football continues its post-season coverage with its Independence Bowl preview and prediction. The Army Black Knights first looked to face off against the Sun Belt champions from Marshall. The Thundering Herd, however, did not renew the contract of Head Coach Charles Huff. This resulted in an exodus of 32 players into the transfer portal. As a result, Marshall withdrew, and Louisiana Tech quickly jumped in to face Army. The Independence Bowl will be played in Shreveport, Louisiana, and kicks off at 9:15 pm. ESPN will broadcast the event.
Independence Bowl Preview and Prediction
Led by Head Coach Jeff Monken, the Black Knights look to finish the season with 12 wins for the first time in program history. They have already clinched their third ten-win season under Monken and the fourth such season in program history. Army’s only losses came against Notre Dame and Navy.
The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs do not offer the same caliber opponent as did the Thundering Herd. The Bulldogs are coming off of a 5-7 season and haven’t had a winning season since 2019. Under Head Coach Sonny Cumbie, the Bulldogs are just 13-28. Defensively, however, the Bulldogs have been stingy, yielding just 20.5 points per game, good for 24th in the country. On offense, the Bulldogs average a paltry 22.2 points per game and rank 113th in that category.
Army Rushing to Twelve Wins
If Army gets its twelfth win of the season, it will be on the back of their unique triple-option rushing attack. Indeed, signal caller Bryson Daily threw the ball just 94 times this season. As a result, Army averages under 82 passing yards a game. Daily, however, finished as the Black Knights’ leading rusher, eclipsing 1,500 yards and an incredible 29 rushing touchdowns, leading all FBS rushers in that category. Behind Daily, Army features two other running backs with over 500 yards each: Kanye Udoh (1,117) and Noah Short (542).
Short also offers the Black Knights a receiving safety valve, as he ranks second on the team in receptions (17) and receiving yards (318). Wideout Casey Reynolds leads the team in both receptions (just 19) and yards (444). Both Reynolds and Shorts finished with three receiving touchdowns.
Defensively, the Black Knights surrender just 16.2 points per game, good for 8th in the nation. They give up just under 117 yards per game on the ground. When they dial up pressure, it comes from Elo Modozie (six-and-a-half sacks) and Kyle Lewis (four sacks). Linebacker Andon Thomas leads the team in tackles with 95. The Black Knights also force plenty of turnovers (just shy of three per game) while coughing the ball up fewer than once.
Bulldogs Trying to Catch Army by Surprise
For as much as Louisiana Tech struggles to move the ball, Evan Bullock led Conference USA in completion percentage at 67.3%. With an accurate passer facing a stingy rushing defense, Cumbie may want to keep the ball in Bullock’s hands against Army. If he does, wideouts Tru Edwards and Jimmy Holiday would represent the biggest beneficiaries. Edwards led Conference USA with 76 receptions, and he led the team with 894 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Holliday added 37 receptions for 461 yards and two touchdowns.
The Bulldogs, despite running the ball 55% of the time, lack a true workhorse back with more than 500 yards on the season. Omiri Wiggins led the team with 103 carries, 487 yards, and four touchdowns. Behind Wiggins, Amani Givins and Marquis Crosby finished with 317 yards and 214 yards respectively.
If the Bulldogs can get the passing game going behind Bullock’s accuracy, they might catch the Black Knights by surprise. They will need to limit turnovers, however, as they give up half a turnover more than they force per game. To do that, they may need to rely on pressure from David Blay (six-and-a-half sacks) and Sifa Leota (three-and-a-half).
Independence Bowl Prediction
Our Independence Bowl preview concludes with a prediction: Louisiana Tech may keep the game close for the first three quarters on the strength of their defense. That said, we expect Army’s battering rushing attack to prevail by a final score of 31-21. Unfortunately, the opponent won’t provide the test the Thundering Herd would have, but the Black Knights will be content getting to twelve wins for the first time in program history.
The post Independence Bowl Preview and Prediction appeared first on Last Word on College Football.