Meet Your Insider
Good evening, and please lower your voices; this is a library. Kidding. Shout all you like. I'm Henrietta Lofland, but my friends and the circulation desk call me Hen, and I'm your Delaware insider at The Cover Window. I'm a Newark native, a librarian by day and a wing-T devotee by night. I have opinions about the buck sweep that I've been asked not to share at dinner parties.
Delaware is the First State, and our Blue Hens are writing a brand-new chapter at the FBS level. I'm here to annotate it carefully. You'll get footnotes, because every fact I give you will have a source. You'll get honesty, because if we stumble I'll say so, kindly. You'll also get a librarian's promise: if I don't know something, I'll go look it up before I say it. I brought a pen. A blue one, naturally.
The School in 60 Seconds
Delaware plays in Conference USA at the FBS level. The school announced its move to Conference USA and FBS in 2023, ahead of the 2025 season. Before that, the Blue Hens were an FCS power. They claim six national titles, in 1946, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1979 and 2003, and they reached the FCS title game again in 2007 and 2010. Delaware has produced quarterbacks Rich Gannon and Joe Flacco, among others. From 1999 to 2010, it was the only FCS program to average more than 20,000 fans at every regular-season home game.
Home is Tubby Raymond Field at Delaware Stadium in Newark. The stadium dates to 1952 per CFBD. Capacity is conflicting: CFBD lists 22,000, while Wikipedia says 18,500 seats. The last five seasons: 5-6, 8-5, 9-4, 9-2 and 7-6.
The Coach and the Scheme
Ryan Carty has led the program since the 2022 season. CFBD lists his hire date as Dec. 10, 2021. This is his fifth season.
In 2026 the Blue Hens lean on the pass. They average 271.0 passing yards per game (29th in FBS) but just 94.0 rushing yards (135th), and 3.12 yards per carry. My wing-T heart aches a little. Total offense is 365.0 yards per game, and scoring is 22.8 points per game. The bright spot is the pass rush: 18 sacks in six games. The defense allows 390.7 yards per game, with 259.2 through the air (125th). Turnovers are even, eight lost and eight forced.
Players to Know
QB Nick Minicucci: the season passing leader, at 838 yards, 5 TD, 3 INT, 57.3%. AP reported he missed the Middle Tennessee game, his second straight game out. I haven't found an update on his status for Tuesday, so it's unknown.
QB Tyler Bell: started in Minicucci's place at Middle Tennessee and threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns on 22 of 36. He also caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Bryson Graves. Versatile young man.
RB Jo'Nathan Silver: 230 yards on 58 carries, 1 TD.
WR Sean Wilson: 25 catches, 339 yards, 3 TD. Donovan Lewis caught six passes for 83 yards against MTSU.
LB Blake Matthews: 4.5 sacks. LB Colin Gallagher: a team-high 42 tackles.
The Conference Picture
Delaware is 2-4 overall and 0-2 in Conference USA. The Blue Hens are 2-1 at home and 0-3 on the road. They are not ranked. The losses: at Vanderbilt (35-26), at Virginia (42-3), Liberty at home (30-14), and at Middle Tennessee (33-30). Tuesday is a chance at the first league win of the season, at home, on national television.
This Week: Game Preview from Both Sides
Missouri State (2-4) at Delaware (2-4) · Tuesday, Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m. ET · Delaware Stadium, Newark · ESPNU
Last time out. Delaware led 30-26 with 9:57 left at Middle Tennessee after Bell's 23-yard touchdown pass to Kaderris Roberts. Then the Blue Raiders went 93 yards to win 33-30. Missouri State beat Kennesaw State 24-21 the next night on Yousef Obeid's 20-yard field goal as time expired. It was the Bears' first FBS win under Casey Woods.
Delaware's offense vs. Missouri State's defense. This one looks promising on paper. The Bears allow 430.8 yards per game (127th), including 254.3 passing (120th) and 176.5 rushing (108th). They give up 30.5 points per game, and opponents convert 44.4% of third downs (120th). If our run game, at 94.0 yards per game, can find even modest room, Bell or Minicucci gets to throw on schedule.
Missouri State's offense vs. Delaware's defense. Here is my worry. The Bears average 224.7 passing yards per game, and Isaiah Myers has 554 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Henry Belin IV threw for a career-high 300 yards in the last game, with two touchdowns to Myers. Our pass defense ranks 125th. Our 18 sacks are the best counterargument I have.
Series. I found no Delaware-Missouri State meeting in CFBD's 2016-2025 list of most frequent opponents, and I haven't confirmed the all-time series. Not found, so not stated.
Availability. No official conference availability report for this game as of Oct. 18, 2026. The one confirmed item is that Minicucci missed the Oct. 13 game, his second straight. His status for Tuesday is unknown.
Missouri State also debuts an insider this week. I'm told she guides float trips. I'll lend her a library card. Fair trade.
Three questions that decide it:
1. Who plays quarterback for Delaware, and does it matter as much as protection does?
2. Can the Blue Hens' pass defense slow Myers?
3. Can Delaware's pass rush, with 18 sacks, finish drives the way MTSU's offense finished ours?
Local Flavor
I'm keeping my best-loved Newark spots in my card catalog until I can confirm them. Not an ad.
My call: Delaware Blue Hens 29, Missouri State Bears 24.