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Delaware Blue Hens at Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

Oct 13, 20266:00 PM CTCBSSNMurfreesboro, TN
By JR·2 min read
Delaware(2-3)
Middle Tennessee(2-3)
6:00 PM

TLDR: Two 2-3 teams, both 0-1 in Conference USA, and both coming off ugly losses. Delaware and Middle Tennessee meet on national TV on Tuesday, October 13, and the loser falls to 0-2 in league play before mid-October.

TUE 10/13, 6:00 PM CT · Week 7CBSSN
Delaware
(2-3)
LLWLW
Middle Tennessee
(2-3)
LLWLW
Kickoff 78°

Delaware and Middle Tennessee are both 2-3 and 0-1 in Conference USA, and both are coming off lopsided losses: 30-14 to Liberty for Delaware and 55-0 at Kansas for Middle Tennessee. The game depends mostly on whether Delaware gets QB Nick Minicucci back from his knee injury or keeps searching among Archield, Streeter and Bell. On the other side, Middle Tennessee has to show that the shutout in Lawrence was a one-off, and it has been solid at home.

Delaware Blue Hens
  • Minicucci had 838 yards, 5 TDs before knee injury
  • Streeter and Bell each threw TD passes against Liberty
  • Played Vanderbilt within 9 with healthy QB
  • Minicucci out with knee injury; status for this game unclear
  • 3-of-17 on third and fourth downs vs Liberty
  • RB Spiller shut down for season
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
  • 2-0 at home, scoring 27+ in both
  • Clean injury report
  • Losses at Marshall, Jax State were one-score or close
  • Shut out 55-0 at Kansas, held to 136 yards
  • Allowed school-record 706 yards in Lawrence
  • Scored 13 or fewer in last 2 games

Start with Delaware's quarterback, because Delaware can't answer that question right now. Nick Minicucci hurt his knee in the 42-3 loss at Virginia and sat out against Liberty. Before the injury he had 838 passing yards and 5 touchdowns. Without him, Ryan Carty used 3 quarterbacks in one night. Sophomore E.J. Archield Jr. made his college debut and went 10-of-19 for 137 yards, then lost a fumble near the goal line. Braden Streeter threw a 58-yard touchdown to Donovan Lewis in the third quarter. Freshman Tyler Bell found Matthew McKinley-Daniels for a 27-yarder in the fourth.

That rotation isn't a plan. It's a search. Delaware converted only 3 of 17 third and fourth downs against Liberty, and Carty said afterward that his offense had to stay on schedule and stay out of third-and-long against a good pass rush. The Blue Hens will also be without RB G. Spiller, who has been shut down for the season. Whoever plays quarterback in Murfreesboro won't have much help in the backfield.

Middle Tennessee has its own problems. The Blue Raiders went to Lawrence and lost 55-0. Kansas piled up a school-record 706 yards, held Middle Tennessee to 136, and posted its first shutout since 2008. Dylan Edwards ran for 137 yards and 3 touchdowns, and Kansas added a 72-yard punt return touchdown. It was the kind of loss that makes you go back and check the tape on everything.

Delaware Blue Hens
(2-3)
10/02LvsLiberty14-30
09/26L@Virginia3-42
09/19WvsCoastal Carolina22-14
09/12L@Vanderbilt26-35
09/03WvsMerrimack42-7
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
(2-3)
10/03L@Kansas0-55
09/26L@Jacksonville State13-23
09/19WvsNevada27-20
09/12L@Marshall26-28
09/05WvsMurray State38-14

The bigger picture is more forgiving for the Blue Raiders. Their season is a lot of close games and 1 disaster. They lost by 2 at Marshall, beat Nevada by 7 at home and lost by 10 at Jacksonville State. Home has been kind to them: they're 2-0 at Floyd Stadium, beating Murray State 38-14 and Nevada 27-20. Middle Tennessee's 3 losses all came on the road, and this one is at home on a Tuesday night.

Delaware's season splits the same way, just more sharply. The Blue Hens beat Merrimack 42-7 and Coastal Carolina 22-14 at home, and they hung around at Vanderbilt in a 35-26 loss with Minicucci healthy. The last 2 games are the concern. They scored 3 points at Virginia and 14 against Liberty, and Liberty's Kam Davis ran for 147 yards on them, including a 56-yard touchdown.

Both teams get roughly 10 days to regroup. For Delaware, that's 10 days to find out whether Minicucci's knee holds up and, if it doesn't, which of the 3 backups gets the job. For Middle Tennessee, it's 10 days to forget Lawrence. Neither team is going anywhere fast in Conference USA. That's exactly why this one matters: an 0-2 start in league play leaves very little room.

Delaware Blue Hens at Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders — Delaware and Middle Tennessee Both Need Tuesday Night to Go Better | Polymarket Odds · Barstool Bush