Strong Second Half Pushes Delaware Past Bears in Newark

Tuesday, October 20

Newark, Del.

6:00 p.m.

Missouri State University

2-5 , 1-2

Delaware

3-4 , 1-2

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Missouri St.	14	14	7	3	38
Delaware	7	17	21	16	61

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October 20, 2026 | Football

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By: MSU Athletics Communications

NEWARK, Del. – A strong second half and good field position helped home-standing Delaware to a 61-38 victory over visiting Missouri State here Tuesday in the highest-scoring Conference USA game since 2017.

The Bears (2-5, 1-2 CUSA) compiled 431 yards on the evening, including 337 passing yards from Henry Belin IV who completed 26-of-35 through the air. Isaiah Myers was on the receiving end of 242 of those passing yards, hauling in 11 catches to post the second-highest yardage total by a Bears receiver in school history.

Myers' 11 receptions also matched the fourth-highest in program history, while his yardage was second only to Steven Rush's 249 yards vs. Illinois State in 2003. It was also a top-10 receiving yardage total in CUSA history and the most by any FBS player so far this season.

Connor Lair also accounted for 96 all-purpose yards for the visitors, including a career-high 85 ground yards on 15 attempts.

With the Bears leading 28-24 midway through the contest, Delaware capitalized on three Mo State penalties on the opening kickoff of the second half and parlayed great field position into a four-play touchdown drive to regain the lead, 28-21, just over two minutes into the third quarter.

Missouri State quickly regained the lead on a one-yard rush by Lair to make it a 35-31 contest. His effort capped an 82-yard scoring possession that included a 52-yard strike to Myers to the Delaware 30.

A long kickoff return gave the Blue Hens great field position again on their ensuing possession, and they needed just five plays to punch it in. A four-yard pass from Nick Minicucci to Elijah Sessoms with 7:50 left in the third marked the sixth and final lead change of the night.

Later in the quarter, two MSU turnovers added 14 more points to the home club, giving Delaware a 52-35 lead early in the fourth.

The Blue Hens' average field position on its first six drives of the second half was the Missouri State 34, and the Blue Hens (3-4, 1-2 CUSA) finished it off with nine more points in the final period -- and 37 in the second half -- to put it out of reach.

Minicucci finished 20-of-29 for 225 yards and matched a Delaware-record with 5 touchdowns with Jo Silver carrying 13 times for 101 yards. DU had 482 total yards and 26 first downs.

In the first half, Belin engineered three scoring drives while J.J. O'Neal swiped a pick six to help push the visitors ahead 28-24 at the game's midway point. He was 17-of-22 through the air for 198 yards over the first 30 minutes, including 148 of them to Myers who caught 9 passes for 148 yards and both aerial scores.

Delaware opened the game's scoring on a 31-yard TD run by Kaderris Roberts before Mo State responded with a 15-yard scoring run from Lair – his sixth career touchdown. Less than four minutes later, O'Neal's 47-yard interception return to paydirt put the Bears up 14-7 at the end of the opening quarter.

Minicucci then rallied the Blue Hens early in the second with back-to-back 60-plus yard scoring drives on TD passes to Bryson Graves (6 yards) and Scott More (26) to make it 21-14.

Belin responded by putting together the Bears' second-longest scoring possession of the season, capping an 82-yard drive on an 11-yard TD strike to Myers to knot the score, 21 apiece.

Delaware regained the lead briefly on a 33-yard field goal by Tyler Smack with 2:16 to go in the half. But Belin and the Bears were up to the task with an eight-play, 78-yard TD march that Myers put the finishing touches on with a 6-yard endzone reception with 17 seconds on the clock.

Mo State is back at Plaster Stadium next Tuesday (Oct. 27) for a nationally-televised showdown on ESPN2 against Sam Houston at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets for the Sam Houston game are available now at MissouriStateBears.com or by visiting the Great Southern Bank Arena Box Office, (417) 836-7678, during regular box office hours.

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