Some bowls have inseparable legacies with schools. When one mentions the bowl, a certain team comes to mind due to the frequency of their appearances. When one mentions the Rose Bowl, USC comes to mind, and when the Orange Bowl enters the conversation, Nebraska or Oklahoma quickly follows.
Louisiana Tech and the Independence Bowl have the same relationship. Saturday's Independence Bowl will be the sixth featuring the Bulldogs, giving them the lead for most appearances in the 11th-oldest bowl in the FBS.
Lousiana Tech had an unprecedented path to this year's Independence Bowl. Marshall's opt-out due to transfer portal depletion opened the door for the 5-7 Bulldogs' participation. Nonetheless, they also had unique journeys to their other five Independence Bowls.
1977 and 1978: Southland Champions
The Independence Bowl was the prize for the Southland Conference champion from its inception in 1976 to 1980. Louisiana Tech had its simplest path to the Independence Bowl in 1977 and 1978. The Bulldogs won the Southland in 1977 with a 4-0-1 conference record and an overall record of 8-1-2. The Bulldogs defeated Louisville 24-14 in the second annual Independence Bowl.
The following year, the Bulldogs were less dominant but repeated as champions. Louisiana Tech regressed to 6-5 overall and 4-1 in the Southland, sharing the league crown with Arkansas State. However, a 24-10 win over Arkansas State gave them the tiebreaker for a trip to Shreveport. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs could not replicate their Independence Bowl dominance from the prior year, losing 35-13 to East Carolina.
1990 and 2008: At-Large Luck Sends Bulldogs to Shreveport
Twelve years passed before Lousiana Tech appeared in another Independence Bowl. The Independence Bowl moved on from the Southland after the conference dropped to Division 1-AA (modern-day FCS). Thus, Louisiana Tech did not appear in a bowl from 1979-1989.
In 1990, the Bulldogs had a season for the ages while competing as an independent. Louisiana Tech finished 8-3 with a win over 9-4 Freedom Bowl champions Colorado State and a narrow 16-14 loss to then #5 Auburn, who went on to win the Peach Bowl and finish #19 in the AP Poll.
Despite this impressive year, the Bulldogs had no guaranteed bowl spot.
The Independence Bowl's early spot on the calendar of December 15th opened the door for the Bulldogs. The Independence Bowl wanted to extend an invitation to Baylor before their November 24th game against Texas. However, since Baylor had a path to the Southwest Conference title and the Cotton Bowl with a win over Texas and a Longhorns loss to Texas A&M on December 1st, the Bears declined the Independence Bowl invitation. (JaguarGator9 did a comprehensive video on the situation, which you can watch here).
This waiting game worked in Louisiana Tech's favor. The Independence Bowl nearly extended an invite to 6-4 Temple but decided to invite the local Bulldogs due to proximity and Temple's poor home attendance. The decision paid off in the end. The Bulldogs played Maryland in one of the greatest Independence Bowls ever. After Maryland scored a touchdown with 52 seconds left, Louisiana Tech mounted a quick drive to tie the game on a field goal as time expired for a 34-34 final score.
Louisiana Tech received another at-large bid in 2008 but under suspicious circumstances. The Bulldogs finished 7-5 with a win over the defending Liberty Bowl champion Mississippi State. Unfortunately for Louisiana Tech, they were one of six bowl-eligible teams from the WAC, which had just three bowl slots. Luckily, the Independence Bowl stepped in to help the local Bulldogs again, but not without controversy.
Before the 2008 season, the Independence Bowl, PapaJohns.com Bowl in Birmingham, and the St. Petersburg Bowl signed agreements to select Sun Belt teams should they have vacant spots. Nevertheless, when the bowls had vacancies, they invited non-Sun Belt teams. Lousiana Tech was one such team and earned a bid to the Independence Bowl over 6-6 Lousiana Tech and Arkansas State to play 6-6 Northern Illinois. (Please check out my more detailed write-up here and YouTube mini-documentary on the story here).
Louisiana Tech and Northern Illinois played a forgettable 17-10 Independence Bowl. The Bulldogs won despite NIU outgaining them 339-236. The bowl's backup tie-in agreement with the Sun Belt ended after the 2008 season.
2019: Conference USA Backup Tie-In Pays Off
In 2019, Louisiana Tech looked primed to win their first conference title since 2001 with an 8-1 start. Losses to Marshall and eventual West Division champion UAB derailed that dream. The Bulldogs still finished 9-3. Thanks to the SEC placing three schools in the New Year's Six, they received an opportunity to fulfill the SEC's open slot to the Independence Bowl due to proximity and their solid resume. The AAC also had a backup tie-in to the Independence Bowl but could not take the spot after sending Temple to play in the Independence Bowl the prior year.
Louisiana Tech had one of their best bowl performances ever. The Bulldogs shut out Miami (FL) 14-0 and outgained the Hurricanes 337-227. The win avenged Louisiana Tech's 48-0 loss to Miami at Independence Stadium in 2003.
Louisiana Tech’s path to this year's Independence Bowl is unique but the Bulldogs found their way to Shreveport in other intriguing ways.
