Missouri State (2-4) at Delaware (2-4). Tuesday, Oct. 20, 7 p.m. ET, Delaware Stadium, Newark, ESPNU.
Your hosts are Hen Lofland, the Newark librarian who loves the wing-T, and Clementine Bilyeu, the Missouri State float-trip guide from the Ozarks.
Hen: Please lower your voices. Kidding. It's Senior Night, so shout all you like.
Clementine: Howdy from the Ozarks! I paddled a long way for this, Hen. Hope your library has a dock.
Players to watch
Delaware's quarterback room comes with a plot twist. Nick Minicucci leads the team with 838 passing yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions, but he missed the Middle Tennessee game, his second straight game out. Tyler Bell started in his place and threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns on 22 of 36. He also caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Bryson Graves. Wide receiver Sean Wilson has 25 catches for 339 yards and three scores. On defense, linebacker Blake Matthews has 4.5 sacks and linebacker Colin Gallagher leads the team with 42 tackles.
Missouri State's top threat is wide receiver Isaiah Myers: 27 catches, 554 yards and five touchdowns. Skyler Locklear leads the Bears in passing with 788 yards, but Henry Belin IV threw for a career-high 300 yards in the last game. Linebacker Jared Lloyd leads the team with 71 tackles. The run game is a committee, and nobody on the roster has reached 250 rushing yards yet.
Clementine: When the river's low, you paddle harder. Isaiah Myers is our paddle.
What happened last week
Delaware led 30-26 with 9:57 left at Middle Tennessee on Oct. 13, after Bell threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Kaderris Roberts. Then the Blue Raiders went 93 yards and won 33-30.
Missouri State had the happier ending the next night. Yousef Obeid kicked a 20-yard field goal as time expired to beat Kennesaw State 24-21. Myers caught seven passes for 135 yards and both touchdowns, tying the game twice in the second half. It was the Bears' first FBS win under Casey Woods.
Clementine: Read the current, respect the rocks, and kick it through as the clock hits zero.
Hen: Noted, and filed under "very lucky."
Injuries and availability
No official conference availability report has been published for this game. Minicucci has missed Delaware's last two games, Delaware hasn't announced his status for Tuesday, and Missouri State hasn't named a starting quarterback.
What the coaches are up to
Ryan Carty is in his fifth season at Delaware. He led the Blue Hens' move to FBS and Conference USA, and the Blue Hens are the 2025 68 Ventures Bowl champions. This year's team is a tale of two offenses: 271.0 passing yards per game, 29th in FBS, but just 94.0 rushing yards, 135th. The defense has 18 sacks in six games.
Casey Woods is in his first season at Missouri State, after serving as SMU's offensive coordinator. His defense has had a rough stretch, allowing 430.8 yards per game, 127th in FBS. But his team now has a last-second FBS win to build on.
Player storylines
Bell is the story in Newark: a backup quarterback who threw for 306 yards and also caught a touchdown pass in the same game. Hen: Versatile young man. I'd shelve him under "reference." For Missouri State, Myers against a Delaware pass defense ranked 125th is the matchup to circle.
What's happening on campus
Delaware has made Oct. 20 Senior Day, the CUSA Mental Health Game and Healthcare Appreciation night, with discounted tickets for health care professionals. Homecoming comes later, against FIU on Nov. 14. This schedule exists because of a mid-spring rework: the CUSA update after Louisiana Tech's departure moved this game from Springfield to Newark.
Clementine: So technically, Hen, this was supposed to be my party.
Hen: And now it's my Senior Night. Please sign the guest book.
Anything else fun and true
This is the first time these programs have met as FBS members. Missouri State became a full FBS member in 2026. The two schools have different gridiron roots. Delaware claims six national titles, from 1946 to 2003, and produced quarterbacks Rich Gannon and Joe Flacco. Missouri State first fielded a football team in 1909 and was known as Southwest Missouri State until 2005.
Hen: Six national titles. I keep them cross-referenced, alphabetized and dusted weekly.
Clementine: And we've got the prettiest rivers in America. Pack a snack. It's going to be a fun float.
The Cover Window
My call: Delaware Blue Hens 29, Missouri State Bears 24.