Louisiana took a 16–6 lead into halftime with the help of a third made field goal with two seconds left in the half, but those were the last points recorded by the Ragin' Cajuns; another passing touchdown by Tune proved to be the only scoring play of the third quarter, a Cougars field goal tied the game at 16 points apiece early in the fourth quarter, and a touchdown with twenty seconds left in the game gave Houston their first lead and the win shortly thereafter.

Despite Army's 6–6 record, they were not bowl eligible due to two of their wins coming against Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) teams.

[8] Louisiana's defense entered the game having been a bright spot for the team during the season, as they ranked in the top 25 nationally in turnover margin.

[13] Holgorsen wore a black hoodie with "STATE" on the front as an homage to his late mentor and coach Mike Leach, who died on December 12, 2022.

[14] The Independence Bowl was televised by ESPN, with a commentary team of Dave Neal, Deuce McAllister, and Harry Lyles Jr.[15] The game's officiating crew, representing Conference USA, was led by referee Scott Hardin and umpire Antonio Barrial.

[2] The game was played at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, where the weather at kickoff was clear with a temperature of 25 °F (−4 °C)[5] and a wind chill of 12 °F (−11 °C).

After nearly seven and a half minutes, the Ragin' Cajuns found the end zone as quarterback Chandler Fields passed to wide receiver Johnny Lumpkin for a 4-yard touchdown for the game's first points.

Houston faced a 4th & 1 early into their opening drive and converted it, though their next series ended in a fourth-and-long and the Cougars punted.

Louisiana's final possession of the half was a long 14-play drive that began at their own 12-yard-line and reached the Houston 6-yard-line with 2 seconds remaining, at which point they successfully attempted a 22-yard field goal and entered halftime with a ten-point lead.

The Cougars started at their own 30-yard-line and crossed midfield in four plays, after which they ran nine more before reaching the end zone with a 2-yard pass from Tune to Nathaniel Dell.

Houston gained several first downs and reached the Louisiana 9-yard-line before a sack by Ja'Marian Peterson and Jourdan Quibodeaux ended the third quarter.

After Tune rushed for 15 yards to advance to the Louisiana 12-yard-line, he completed a pass to Dell for a touchdown to take a seven-point lead with 20 seconds left in the game.