The Marshall Thundering Herd will not be taking part in a bowl game this season for a pretty brutal reason.
Marshall is withdrawing from its spot in the Independence Bowl, according to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports. The decision comes after over 25 Marshall players entered the transfer portal, essentially leaving the team without a big enough roster to play the game.
Marshall has notified officials that it is opting out of the Independence Bowl vs. Army, sources tell @YahooSports.
Absent of 6-6 teams, officials are working to determine a replacement thru a ranking of NCAA APR scores of 5-7 teams. Marshall has lost 25+ players in the portal.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) December 14, 2024
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Marshall finished 6-6 to achieve bowl eligibility. However, head coach Charles Huff left to become head coach at Southern Miss, prompting a mess exodus of his players to the transfer portal. They had been slated to face Army in the game, which is scheduled for Dec. 28.
The Thundering Herd have played in a bowl game in each of the last seven seasons. They qualified to make it eight in a row, but they simply will not have the players to make it happen.