Around C-USA Week 8: Liberty Reaches Six, Delaware Gets Its Quarterback Back
Liberty became bowl eligible, Nick Minicucci returned with six total touchdowns, and Middle Tennessee and New Mexico State used their running games to protect narrow road wins.
By Mark Taylor · Published
Liberty finished Week 8 with a sixth consecutive victory and a place alongside Jacksonville State at 3–0 in conference play. The Flames' defense kept Kennesaw State out of the end zone, making their route through the four-game midweek slate considerably more comfortable than those of Middle Tennessee and New Mexico State.
Delaware supplied the biggest offensive change. Nick Minicucci returned after missing two games and accounted for six touchdowns, although the Blue Hens needed second-half takeaways before a competitive exchange with Missouri State became a decisive win.
Brown Provides the Burst, Bourgeois Supplies the Points
Middle Tennessee 26, FIU 23
Middle Tennessee had already received four field goals from Dominic Bourgeois when it chose to finish the game with its offense. Facing fourth-and-10 at the FIU 40 with 1:38 remaining, Roman Gagliano found Cam'ron Lacy for 25 yards. Terrence Brown Jr.'s ensuing 14-yard run left the Blue Raiders able to kneel out a second consecutive conference victory.
Brown had provided the night's most consequential rushing play much earlier. His 54-yard touchdown in the third quarter broke a 16–16 tie and gave Middle Tennessee a lead it never relinquished. He finished with 158 yards on 18 carries and added 25 receiving yards, supplying the biggest share of a 248-yard team rushing effort.
Bourgeois made kicks from 51, 39, 50 and 28 yards. His two makes from beyond 50 were a program first in the same game, and the entire four-kick contribution mattered in a contest decided by three points. Middle Tennessee gained 448 yards but converted only three of 13 third downs, leaving its kicker repeatedly responsible for completing productive possessions.
FIU remained close through explosive passing and Devonte Lyons' running. JJ Kohl opened the Panthers' offense with a 49-yard touchdown pass to Kyle McNeal and finished with three touchdown passes on a 179-yard night. Lyons rushed for 115 yards on 19 carries. Kohl's 21-yard connection with Sterling Joseph cut the margin to 26–23 with 6:06 remaining, putting the game back within one possession.
Gagliano threw for 200 yards and a touchdown, with Brody Benke turning his first collegiate reception into a 30-yard score. Lacy caught six passes for 68 yards, including the conversion that prevented FIU from receiving another meaningful opportunity. Middle Tennessee reached 4–3 overall and 2–1 in C-USA; FIU fell to 3–4 and 1–2. The Blue Raiders' final decision worked because their passing game delivered the first down that their earlier third-down possessions had so often lacked.
Minicucci's Return Changes Delaware's Ceiling
Delaware 61, Missouri State 38
Missouri State led 35–31 in the third quarter. Delaware then scored 30 consecutive points, turning a game of exchanged touchdowns into a demonstration of what its offense could do once the defense began creating extra possessions.
Nick Minicucci returned from a two-game injury absence and tied Delaware's single-game record with five touchdown passes. He completed 20 of 29 throws for 225 yards and added a rushing touchdown, accounting for six scores. The Blue Hens also gained 232 yards on the ground, with Jo Silver rushing for 101 and scoring once rushing and once receiving. Minicucci's return gave Delaware a productive passing game without requiring it to abandon the run.
The separation came through three takeaways. Jawarren Corbin strip-sacked Henry Belin IV, and Brandon Gorham returned the fumble 59 yards to the Missouri State 4, setting up Minicucci's rushing score. Corbin also recorded his first career interception, while George Mullins added another interception. Those changes of possession stopped Missouri State's offense from continuing an exchange it had sustained through halftime and into the third quarter.
The Bears had substantial production before the game escaped them. Belin threw for 337 yards and two touchdowns, and Isaiah Myers caught 11 passes for 242 yards and both scores. Connor Lair supplied 85 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Jmariyae Robinson added 10 catches for 85 yards. J.J. O'Neal's first-quarter interception return for a touchdown had also helped Missouri State establish an early lead.
That output made ball security more consequential. Belin's two interceptions and lost fumble helped accelerate Delaware's second-half surge. The Blue Hens' 61 points tied their highest total under Ryan Carty and moved them to 3–4 overall and 1–2 in C-USA. Missouri State fell to 2–5 and 1–2. For Delaware, the encouraging development was the combination of Minicucci's availability, a productive ground game and a defense that finally interrupted the opponent's scoring rhythm.
Jones Makes the Last Two Yards Count
New Mexico State 30, Sam Houston 24
New Mexico State asked James Jones to carry the final possession because he had carried so much of the offense already. With Sam Houston within six points, the Aggies ran six consecutive times. Jones converted fourth-and-two in the closing seconds, completing a 27-carry, 178-yard night and preventing the Bearkats from getting the ball back.
The ground game was the clearest difference. New Mexico State rushed for 203 yards and held Sam Houston to 11 on 20 attempts. The Bearkats managed only 13 total yards in the first half, yet special teams kept them close: Terrence Guillory II blocked a punt, and Railyn Adams recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown.
Sam Houston briefly moved ahead when Landyn Locke found Tim Burns Jr. for an 81-yard touchdown on its first offensive play of the second half. The 17–14 advantage lasted only until New Mexico State answered with another scoring drive. Jones' 31-yard run helped put the Aggies in position for Adam Damante's second touchdown pass to AJ Williams III.
New Mexico State scored 16 unanswered points in the third quarter. A field goal extended the lead, and Kaian Roberts-Day recovered a fumble on a failed Sam Houston trick play. TJ Washington Jr.'s seven-yard touchdown run completed the resulting short possession and made it 30–17. The Bearkats responded with MJ Dowdy's one-yard touchdown with four minutes remaining, but their defense could not produce the final stop.
Damante completed 19 of 29 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns. Locke finished with 235 passing yards, including 117 on four catches by Burns, but Sam Houston's 13 penalties for 118 yards compounded an already limited rushing attack. New Mexico State improved to 3–4 and 2–1 in conference play; Sam Houston fell to 1–6 and 0–3. The Aggies' finish matched the work that had built their lead: Jones continued gaining the yards they needed after the explosive plays had subsided.
Liberty Turns Two Interceptions Into Separation
Liberty 34, Kennesaw State 6
Liberty reached bowl eligibility by combining an early offensive advantage with a defense that refused to let Kennesaw State turn its response into touchdowns. The Flames led 14–3 at halftime, then converted two third-quarter interceptions into 10 points to remove most of the remaining uncertainty.
Jaylon Coleman supplied two different scoring answers. He caught Deshawn Purdie's 56-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter, then finished the possession following Ashton McShane's interception with a nine-yard touchdown run. Coleman totaled 86 yards rushing and receiving on nine touches. Kam Davis had opened the scoring with a one-yard run at the end of an 11-play, 85-yard drive.
Kennesaw State had opportunities to keep the game closer. The Owls outgained Liberty in the second quarter but came away with only Daniel Kinney's 37-yard field goal. Rickie Collins then threw interceptions to Derrell Farrar and McShane in the third. Farrar's takeaway produced a Chase Reeves field goal; McShane's led to Coleman's second touchdown and a 24–3 advantage.
Purdie finished with 176 passing yards and a touchdown, extending his interception-free start to the season through seven games. Jamari Person caught four passes for 72 yards. Liberty's 215 rushing yards and 37:05 of possession helped keep the defense's stops from becoming brief interruptions between Kennesaw State chances.
Collins threw for 124 yards before Landon Varnes took over and added 111. Neither quarterback produced a touchdown, and the Owls managed only 62 rushing yards. Kinney's late 28-yard field goal was their only second-half scoring. Liberty still had discipline to address after 12 penalties for 85 yards, but its turnover advantage and sustained possessions were more than enough to absorb those mistakes.
The Flames improved to 6–1 and 3–0 in C-USA with their sixth straight win. Kennesaw State fell to 1–6 and 0–3, having remained within range for a half before its passing mistakes gave Liberty the separation its early lead had not yet secured.
Where Week 8 Leaves the Race
Liberty's 3–0 conference record kept it level with Jacksonville State among the unbeaten league teams. Middle Tennessee and New Mexico State both reached 2–1 by preserving narrow road leads, while Delaware's first conference victory moved it to 1–2 alongside Missouri State and FIU.
The strongest developments came from different parts of the field. Liberty's defense sustained its winning streak, Delaware regained a highly productive starting quarterback, and Middle Tennessee and New Mexico State found ways to keep possession at the end. For the teams they beat, producing a competitive stretch was insufficient without the turnover control or late stop needed to protect it.
