INDY CHAMPS! Bulldogs Mount Comeback in 23-14 Win over Chanticleers

Tuesday, December 30

Shreveport, La.

1:00 p.m.

Louisiana Tech University

8-5 , 5-3

Coastal Carolina

6-7 , 5-3

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Coastal Carolina	7	7	0	0	14
Louisiana Tech	0	3	3	17	23

The Bulldogs erased an 11-point halftime deficit, shutting out Coastal Carolina in the second half to claim a 23-14 victory to become the 2025 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl champions.

Photo by: Josh McDaniel

INDY CHAMPS! Bulldogs Mount Comeback in 23-14 Win over Chanticleers

12/30/2025 6:29:00 PM | Football

Box Score Highlights Photo Gallery

LA Tech erased an 11-point deficit to defeat Coastal Carolina

By: Kane McGuire

SHREVEPORT, La. – Penalty flags and turnovers dominated Saturday afternoon at Independence Stadium, but Louisiana Tech dominated when it mattered most.

The Bulldogs erased an 11-point halftime deficit, shutting out Coastal Carolina in the second half to claim a 23-14 victory to become the 2025 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl champions.

The game featured an Independence Bowl–record 228 combined penalty yards on 25 total flags along with seven total turnovers. Only one of those turnovers came in the opening half – a tipped ball interception on LA Tech's first possession – but the Chanticleers took advantage of the sloppy play and momentum.

LA Tech mustered just 58 yards of offense before halftime, with its only points coming from a 42-yard field goal by Kaegan Kent, the first of his Bulldog career. Meanwhile, Coastal Carolina quarterback Tad Hudson threw for 194 yards in the first half, including a 20-yard screen pass touchdown to Dominic Knicely and a 75-yard scoring drive in the final two minutes to give the
Chanticleers a 14-3 lead at the break.

That would be the last time Coastal scored.

The Bulldog defense came out of the locker room on a mission, forcing an immediate three-and-out. A 30-yard punt return by Dedrick Latulas set up a 51-yard field goal by John Hoyet Chance to quickly cut the deficit to 14-6.

From there, chaos really took over.

Jaydon Mayfield forced a fumble on Coastal's very next offensive snap, and Andrew Burnette followed with a big run to move Tech into the red zone. However, an unsportsmanlike penalty and a fumble by Trey Kukuk gave the ball right back, and Coastal soon drove inside the Bulldog 15-yard line. Attempting to extend the lead with a short field goal, the Chanticleers were denied when Kenyatta McNeese blocked the kick.

Two more near-recoveries slipped through Tech's fingers – a muffed punt that rolled all the way into the end zone and a sack fumble by Sifa Leota – before the Bulldogs finally cashed in. Jordan McRae snagged a ricochet interception off a breakup by Amari Butler, and on the very next play Kukuk hit Marlion Jackson in stride for a 52-yard touchdown. The two-point try failed, making it 14-12 with 11:45 remaining.

After another fourth-down defensive stop, Latulas delivered another long return, and an unnecessary roughness penalty helped set up the go-ahead drive. Kukuk ripped off a 29-yard run, and Burnette needed just two carries from five yards out to punch in the touchdown. This time the two-point try was good, giving LA Tech a 20-14 lead with 8:09 to play.

Coastal had two final chances to respond – one after a fumble recovery near midfield and another "last-ditch" fourth-down attempt – but the Bulldog defense forced seven straight incompletions to end both threats.

LA Tech sealed it with a 35-yard field goal from Kent and one last exclamation point: Jakari Foster's NCAA-leading eighth interception of the season.

NOTABLES

With the win, LA Tech now leads the all-time series over Coastal Carolina, 1-0.
LA Tech claimed its ninth bowl title in program history and its first since 2019. The Bulldogs are now 9-5-1 all-time in bowl games. It also marked the fourth ever Independence Bowl championship for the 'Dogs.
The Bulldogs overcame an 11-point deficit to defeat the Chanticleers, the largest ever comeback by LA Tech in a postseason game.
LA Tech improved to 51-31-3 all-time when playing in Shreveport.
LA Tech ended the season on a three-game winning streak, a first since the 2017 season. The Bulldogs finished the season 8-5, the most wins in a single season since 2019.
Trey Kukuk led everybody on the ground with 121 rushing yards, marking the third straight game with 100+ for the quarterback. He also finished with 114 passing yards and one touchdown. He is only the 11th quarterback in FBS with at least three games of 100+ rushing yards.
Marlion Jackson registered a team-high 87 receiving yards, his second most of the season. His 52-yard receiving touchdown was his longest reception of the season.
Andrew Burnette registered his team-leading ninth rushing touchdown of the season.
The Bulldog defense forced three turnovers, marking the fifth time this season with at least three takeaways in a game. They finished the season with 25 total takeaways – 22 interceptions (second most in recorded history) and three fumbles recovered.
Sifa Leota led the Bulldogs with 10 tackles, the second time this season with double-digit tackles in a single game. He also had a career-high two sacks.
All-American Jakari Foster recorded his NCAA-leading eighth interception of the season. His eight interceptions are tied for the second most in a single season in program history (most by a Bulldog since 1995).
Jordan McRae registered his first career interception as a Bulldog.

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