The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs will host the Army Black Knights in the inaugural 2013 Heart of Dallas Classic at the Cotton Bowl, the school announced today.
The game, which was initially slated for Sept. 28, 2013 in Ruston, will be played on the same date and Louisiana Tech will remain the home team.
“We are honored to partner with the United States Military Academy, the Cotton Bowl, the State Fair of Texas, Conference USA and the Heart of Dallas Bowl to participate in this special event,” said Louisiana Tech athletic director Bruce Van De Velde. “This kind of opportunity is what you witness going on around the country with major college football programs playing at neutral sites in unique locations and venues in matchups made for national television. The exposure we will receive will market our University and build our brand with recruits. Financially it will help our entire program.”
The Heart of Dallas is a non-profit group that is also the new sponsor of the former TicketCity Bowl. The 2013 Heart of Dallas Bowl will be played on January 1 and will pit the Big 12 vs. the Big Ten in 2013 and the Big Ten vs. C-USA in 2014.
Louisiana Tech and Army’s first and only meeting was on Oct. 25, 2008 in West Point, New York. The Black Knights won that game 14-7.
Other non-conference games for Louisiana Tech in 2013 include at Houston (Sept. 7), at Kansas (Sept. 21), and home vs. Lamar (date TBA). The Bulldogs, who join Conference USA in 2013, will play five games at home and six on the road.
Army’s 2013 schedule, which has been set for some time, kicks off with Morgan State at home on Aug. 31. Featured contests include home games vs. Stanford and Wake Forest and road games vs. Boston College and Air Force.