Louisiana Tech and head football coach Skip Holtz have agreed to part ways, the school announced Friday.

Holtz, 57, will coach his final game with the Bulldogs on Saturday against Rice.

"Skip and I talked and agreed it was time for a change for both parties," Eric Wood, vice president and director of athletics, said in a statement Friday. "Louisiana Tech owes Skip a debt of gratitude for his loyalty and dedication to our football student-athletes, our University, and our community over the past decade."

Said Holtz: "This is the right time for me to evaluate a new start in my career. I've had the privilege of mentoring young people and building football programs for more than 30 years, including the last nine as head coach of Louisiana Tech. The past two seasons have brought additional challenges to our program, and I simply think it is time for someone else to have the chance to lead this special group of young men."

In nine years at Louisiana Tech, Holtz has compiled a 64-49 record heading into Saturday's finale against the Owls. He had led the Bulldogs to seven straight bowl appearances with six wins in those games.

The 2016 Conference USA Coach of the Year said that his coaching days are far from over.

"I am not done coaching football and have great passion and energy to continue to lead young men through this game that I love so much," Holtz said. "It is just time for me to channel my energies elsewhere."

Tech is 3-8 this season and has not finished with a losing record since 2013, Holtz's first season in Ruston. Wood said a national search for a new coach will begin immediately.

Conference USA has been overhauled by realignment over the last five months. Tech was one of five current C-USA schools that are committed to the league beyond next season.

Nine current C-USA members have announced they are heading to new conferences, and the league announced last month it is adding Liberty, New Mexico State, Jacksonville State and Sam Houston State by 2023.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report