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.