SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — Bryson Daily broke the FBS record for touchdowns by a quarterback in a season with 32, running for three scores in No. 19 Army’s 27-6 victory over Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl on Saturday night.

Daily ran for 127 yards on 27 carries and was 2-of-9 passing for 65 yards to help Army set a program victory record at 12-2. Daily broke the FBS quarterback record for touchdowns in a season set by Navy’s Keenan Reynolds in 2013.

“I’m really proud of this senior class, the way we came together to have this season,” Daily said. “To have two six-win seasons in a row, to turn it around and get 12, just extremely proud of the guys.”

Hayden Reed added 114 yards rushing and a TD on 20 carries.

Army entered the game with a nation-best 298.9 yards rushing per game and punished the Bulldogs (5-8), a late replacement for Sun Belt champion Marshall.

“They responded from a very emotional and difficult loss (to Navy) two weeks ago with a great effort,” Army coach Jeff Monken said.

Army set an Independence Bowl record with a 21-play drive, going 75 yards in the second quarter to take a 21-3 lead. Daily scored on an 8-yard run to end the drive that had two third-down conversions and three fourth-down conversions.

“It felt like we were out there forever,” Reed said.

Drew Henderson made field goals of 27 and 44 yards for Louisiana Tech. Tru Edwards, who has entered the transfer portal, had eight catches for 92 yards.

Takeaways

Army: The Black Knights were able to wash away some of the “bad taste” that lingered from a loss to Navy two weeks ago.

Louisiana Tech: The Bulldogs hired a new offensive coordinator, Tony Franklin, after the regular season.

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Josh Hoover passed for four touchdowns to help TCU beat Louisiana-Lafayette 34-3 on Saturday in the New Mexico Bowl.

Hoover was 20 for 32 for 252 yards with an interception. Eric McAlister had eight catches for 87 yards and a TD for the Horned Frogs (9-4).

TCU’s defense also had a solid day, holding Louisiana-Lafayette (10-4) to 209 yards, including 61 on the game’s final possession.

Ben Wooldridge was 7-for-20 passing for 61 yards for the Ragin’ Cajuns. He also threw an interception.

The Horned Frogs put together a fast start. Hoover found DJ Rogers for a 3-yard TD pass, capping an 11-play, 75-yard drive on the game’s opening possession.

After Lou Groza Award winner Kenneth Almendares missed a 54-yard field goal for Louisiana-Lafayette, TCU went right back to work.

McAlister’s 1-yard touchdown reception finished a 10-play, 63-yard drive and gave the Horned Frogs a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

Kyle Lemmermann kicked two field goals and JP Richardson added a 20-yard touchdown reception as TCU opened a 27-0 halftime lead.

Takeaways

TCU: Two years removed from an appearance in the national championship game, the Horned Frogs turned in a strong performance after going 5-7 last season. They scored on their first four possessions against the Cajuns. and held a 27-0 halftime lead.

Louisiana-Lafayette: It was a rough afternoon for the Cajuns. Almendares made a 24-yarder in the fourth quarter to account for their only points.

UP NEXT

TCU opens the 2025 season Aug. 30 at North Carolina in coach Bill Belichick’s debut with the Tar Heels.

Louisiana-Lafayette opens at home against Rice on Aug. 30.

Army football is set to face Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl on Saturday night. It’s the second team the Black Knights have been slated to play this bowl season.

No. 18 Army (11-2) was originally slated to play Marshall after winning the American Athletic Conference, however, the Thundering Herd opted out of the bowl game, allowing for the Bulldogs (5-7) to reach the postseason despite not reaching the typical 6-win threshold.

REQUIRED READING: Bowl game schedule today: Breaking down the eight college football bowl games on Dec. 28

Army, coming off a loss to arch-rival Navy, is looking to reach 12 wins for the first time in program history. Quarterback Bryson Daily, who finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting, had one of the best seasons ever for the Black Knights, scoring 38 total touchdowns with a team-leading 1,532 rushing yards.

There are numerous reasons as to why Army won’t be taking on Marshall, who went 10-3 this season and won the Sun Belt championship.

Here’s an explanation of Army’s opponent in the Independence Bowl on Saturday:

Why is Army playing Louisiana Tech instead of Marshall?

Marshall backed out of the Independence Bowl in wake of coach Charles Huff leaving for the Southern Miss job, which resulted in numerous Thundering Herd players entering the transfer portal.

Marshall simply was left with hardly a roster and no head coach, resulting in the opt out.

Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported Louisiana Tech was selected as the replacement due to its Academic Progress Rate despite not reaching the 6-win bowl eligibility threshold. Dellenger added multiple 5-win teams had better APR than Louisiana Tech, however, were unable to commit to the game based on the short turnaround of the matchup after Marshall’s opt out.

Why did Marshall opt out of bowl game?

Marshall opted out of the game due to having a substantial number of players enter the transfer portal following Huff’s departure to Southern Miss.

The Thundering Herd had over 25 players enter the transfer portal, including all three of their scholarship quarterbacks.

“It is unfortunate that Marshall determined they won’t be able to compete in the bowl in a couple of weeks,” Independence Bowl executive director Missy Setters said in a statement. “Our goal was to create the best matchup possible for our local fans and college football fans throughout the country, and we think we did that with two conference champions. Moving forward we are very excited to host Louisiana Tech and are thrilled we found an opponent for Army.”

According to On3’s transfer portal database, Marshall has lost 45 players to the transfer portal this offseason.

Why is Louisiana Tech in Independence Bowl?

Louisiana Tech was the replacement for Marshall, who opted out of the Independence Bowl due to losing a large group of players to the transfer portal.

Louisiana Tech was then selected due to its Academic Progress Rate, despite not having the highest among 5-win teams. The Bulldogs (5-7) didn’t reach the 6-win bowl threshold, but were picked since there were no 6-win teams left to choose from.

Louisiana Tech’s APR was also not the highest among 5-win teams, but was selected after multiple teams in front of it in the pecking order couldn’t commit to the game with the short turnaround after Marshall’s opt out.