Week 8 Tuesday Recap: Minicucci Returns, Middle Tennessee And Marshall Stage Upsets

Week 8 has already delivered, and we’re not even through Saturday yet. In fact, we’re not even through Wednesday.

Conference USA and Sun Belt provided a three-game slate Tuesday night, and there was no shortage of action. Here is a recap of Tuesday’s thrilling matchups, ranging from Newark to Miami to Huntington:

Delaware 61, Missouri State 38

Delaware returned star quarterback Nick Minicucci, and the Fightin’ Blue Hens tied their highest-scoring output under Ryan Carty. Minicucci also tied a program record with five passing touchdowns, finishing 20-of-29 with 225 passing yards in a triumphant return. Rocking a knee brace on his right knee, Minicucci also took matters into his own hands and ran into a touchdown on 4th-and-goal in the late third quarter.

The game started out as the ultimate back-and-forth shootout. When Delaware claimed a 38-35 lead with 7:50 remaining in the third quarter, that was the sixth lead change of the night. That touchdown, a 3-yard reception from Elijah Sessoms sparked a 31-0 run for the Fightin’ Blue Hens, assisted by three consecutive turnovers by the Bears. Delaware also got its best run support of the season, posting 232 rushing yards, including 101 from running back Jo Silver. The Fightin’ Blue Hens secured their first CUSA win of the season, improving to 3-4 overall and 1-2 in conference play, while the Bears fell to 2-5 overall and 1-2 against their CUSA peers.

This 99-point affair was also the first 61-38 finish in FBS history (h/t Sickos Committee).

Middle Tennessee 26, FIU 23

FIU entered this matchup at Pitbull Stadium ranked ninth nationally in scoring defense and total defense. Middle Tennessee completely disregarded the Panthers’ usually stout defense. The Blue Raiders posted 448 yards, and several offensive players stepped up in the upset. Quarterback Roman Gagliano fired for 200 yards and a touchdown while running back Terrence Brown Jr. added 158 rushing yards — the most by a Middle Tennessee player since Asher O’Hara rushed for 159 in a 2019 win over FIU.

FIU took an 8-0 lead in a wild sequence where Middle Tennessee committed three-straight penalties on the Panthers’ extra point/2-point attempts, and FIU cashed in for two on its fourth try. But once the Blue Raiders claimed a 10-8 lead, that advantage would never be relinquished. Up three points with 1:40 remaining, Middle Tennessee took the risk of going for 4th-and-10 from the FIU 40-yard line. Gagliano converted with a spectacular 25-yard completion to Cam’ron Lacy, and Middle Tennessee ultimately entered victory formation. FIU scored with 6:06 remaining and never got the ball back. At 4-3, Middle Tennessee surpassed its win total from each of the previous two years of the Derek Mason era. Meanwhile, FIU falls to 3-4 after dropping their second consecutive conference matchup.

Marshall 20, South Alabama 13

The Tuesday night fun wasn’t limited to Weekday CUSA. The Sun Belt also hosted a midweek matchup in Huntington, WV between Marshall and South Alabama — two programs headed in opposite directions. The Jaguars scored 56 in their previous outing at Arkansas State but were held to a mere 13 at Joan C. Edwards Stadium against an energized Thundering Herd defense.

Marshall limited South Alabama to a 12-of-33 performance through the air, and the Jaguars managed just 148 passing yards and threw one interception — a momentum-swinging turnover which set up Marshall for the first touchdown drive of the game in the late third quarter. From there, the offenses got things going. South Alabama tied it at 13-13 with 4:38 remaining on a PJ Martin run. Marshall responded immediately on a 75-yard touchdown run by quarterback Zion Turner, but there were two problems — one, the touchdown was negated due to holding, and two, Turner was shaken up on the play. The Thundering Herd inserted Khalil Wilkins into the game, and the backup quarterback accounted for 62 rushing yards himself on the game-winning drive. Judah Price punched in the go-ahead touchdown with 1:49 left, and Marshall improved to 4-3 on the season with its fourth one-score victory.