Marshall has informed Independence Bowl officials it is pulling out of its matchup against Army because of a roster depleted by players opting out and entering the transfer portal, a person briefed on the the details of the situation told The Athletic on Saturday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the school’s decision had not been publicly announced.
Marshall (10-3) is scheduled to play Army on Dec. 28 in the Shreveport, La., bowl game. The Black Knights (11-1) are the American Athletic Conference champions and were finishing out their regular season Saturday with their traditional rivalry game against Navy in Landover, Md.
It was unclear if a substitute opponent could be found for the game. There were no bowl-eligible teams left out of the postseason schedule, but a 5-7 team determined by highest Academic Progress Rating could be offered a spot in the game. Cincinnati and Wisconsin are the first teams in line, according to NCAA rules.
Marshall won its first Sun Belt championship last weekend, but made a coaching change less than 24 hours later. Charles Huff, who was coaching out the end of his contract, left Marshall to become head coach at Southern Mississippi and the Thundering Herd quickly replaced him with West Virginia native and North Carolina State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson.
But the coaching change sparked a roster exodus that included more than 20 players hitting the transfer portal and opting out of the game.
Marshall officials took the unusual step of letting Huff play out his contract this season, and the Thundering Herd ended up finishing the season on a seven-game winning streak to claim the school’s first conference title in 10 years.
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