Nick Minicucci Throws Five TDs as Delaware Buries Missouri State 61-38

Nick Minicucci spent the last two weeks living in a training room. He told reporters he was showing up at 3:30 in the morning for rehab, and that he was not about to let anyone tell him he couldn't play. On Tuesday night, he made the case for himself in the loudest way available.

Back from an injury that cost him two games, Minicucci threw five touchdown passes, ran for a sixth and pulled Delaware out of a three-game skid with a 61-38 win over Missouri State at Delaware Stadium. The Blue Hens trailed 35-31 midway through the third quarter. Then they ripped off 30 straight points before the Bears kicked a late field goal, and a game that looked like a coin flip turned into a demolition.

Delaware moves to 3-4 and 1-2 in Conference USA with its first league win of the season. Missouri State falls to 2-5 and 1-2.

A slow start and a pick-six

The return did not begin smoothly. Minicucci threw only twice on Delaware's first drive, though Kaderris Roberts bailed the offense out with a 31-yard touchdown run. On his second drive, Missouri State safety J.J. O'Neal jumped a Minicucci throw and took it back 47 yards for a touchdown. Connor Lair had already scored from 15 yards out, and the Bears led 14-7 after one quarter.

That was about the last mistake Minicucci made all night. He found Bryson Graves for a 6-yard score early in the second quarter, then hit sophomore tight end Scott Moore over the middle for a 26-yarder after the defense forced a three-and-out. "After the first drive, I think Nick really settled in and it was, you know, one of his better games to be honest," Delaware coach Ryan Carty said.

The problem was on the other side of the ball, and his name was Isaiah Myers.

Isaiah Myers had the best night nobody will talk about

Missouri State's top receiver, who came in leading Conference USA, was unguardable in the first half. Myers caught nine balls for 148 yards before the break, including touchdown grabs of 11 and 6 yards from Henry Belin IV. The second came with 14 seconds left in the half, capping a 78-yard drive and sending the Bears into the locker room up 28-24.

He finished with 11 catches for 242 yards and two touchdowns. According to the Associated Press, that is the most receiving yards by anyone in an FBS game this season. Belin, making just his second start, went 26-of-35 for 337 yards.

Usually a stat line like that wins you the game. Not this time.

The turning point: Jawarren Corbin's night

Delaware took its first lead of the second half when Minicucci found Jo Silver for a 12-yard score on the opening drive of the third quarter. Lair answered with a 1-yard plunge, and it was 35-31 Missouri State with 10:33 left in the third. Then the Blue Hens took the game away.

Minicucci hit Elijah Sessoms in the back of the end zone from 3 yards out to make it 38-35. On the next Missouri State possession, linebacker Jawarren Corbin, starting in place of the injured Colin Gallagher, came free on an A-gap blitz, sacked Belin and knocked the ball loose. Defensive end Brandon Gorham recovered at the Bears' 4. Minicucci punched it in himself from a yard out, and Delaware led 45-35 with 4:01 left in the third.

Corbin explained that defensive coordinator Manny Rojas knew Missouri State would cut, and that the A-gap would be wide open. "We called an A-gap blitz and my luck, it came wide open," he said.

He was not done. After safety George Mullins picked off Belin to set up Silver's 3-yard touchdown run, Corbin intercepted Belin on the next series. Minicucci then hit senior Donovan Lewis from 3 yards out for touchdown pass number five, and it was 58-35 with 11:22 to play. Three turnovers, three Delaware touchdowns. Tucker Smack added a 25-yard field goal, and freshman Tyler Bell took over at quarterback with about nine minutes left.

Corbin finished with his first career interception, his first career sack, his first forced fumble and a career-high six tackles. "You never know when your name's gonna get called," he said.

Minicucci joins elite company

Five touchdown passes tied Delaware's single-game school record, according to the Blue Hens' recap (opens in a new tab). It is only the sixth time a Blue Hens quarterback has done it, and the first since Nolan Henderson against Monmouth in 2022. Minicucci went 20-of-29 for 225 yards, and his six total touchdowns tied his career high. Along the way, he passed Rich Gannon for sixth on the program's career passing yards list and moved into third in career touchdown passes.

Remember, this was a guy who was supposed to be rusty. "Personally, I was not going to let anyone tell me I couldn't play, so I was going to do anything possible to get back," Minicucci said. "I lived in the training room."

The stats that actually mattered

Strip away the fireworks and this game came down to two things. The first was the running game. Delaware piled up 232 rushing yards, a season high and more than double its previous best of 112. Silver ran for 101 yards on 13 carries and scored twice, once on the ground and once through the air. Roberts added 58 yards on eight carries. That balance is exactly what Carty wanted with his quarterback coming off an injury. "We have to be able to run the ball when we need to," Carty said, adding that the plan was to "take some heat off of Nick."

The second was turnovers. Delaware scored 20 points off three Missouri State giveaways, all in the second half. The Bears scored seven off Minicucci's lone mistake. For a team that had been dropping close games, that swing is the whole story.

A few more numbers worth your time. Delaware gained 482 total yards and never punted. Graves piled up 160 kickoff return yards, the most by a Blue Hen since 2012. And the 99 combined points made it the highest-scoring Conference USA game since FAU beat North Texas 69-31 in 2017. The full breakdown is on the ESPN box score (opens in a new tab).

What it means

The first meeting between these two programs since both jumped to FBS and Conference USA in 2025 gave Delaware something it badly needed. The Blue Hens still sit two games behind unbeaten Liberty in the league with five conference games to play, and they need three more wins to reach bowl eligibility. Next on the schedule was a Tuesday trip to Western Kentucky on Oct. 27, followed by a road game at Kennesaw State and a Nov. 14 home date with FIU.

For Missouri State, the loss stings because the Bears had this one where they wanted it at halftime. The school's own postgame recap (opens in a new tab) put the blame on the second half, and it is hard to argue. Next on the schedule was a home game against Sam Houston on Oct. 27.

The last word

Carty sounded like a coach who had been waiting a few weeks to say this. "We were intent. Our sideline was better. Our passion was better. We played more connected," he said. "We believed in each other so much better than we did in the past couple weeks, and I think that's hopefully the start of something that can give us some confidence going into next week."

One win does not fix a season. But a healthy Minicucci, a running game that finally showed up and a backup linebacker who played like a star is a decent place to start.

Sources: Delaware LIVE, Delaware Athletics game notes, Missouri State Athletics, The Associated Press via KY3 and ESPN. More college football coverage on Undrafted.

Photos: Delaware Athletics.