This week, Conference USA featured a full Saturday slate, highlighted by several tightly contested matchups across both high and low-scoring games. The Sam Houston Bearkats finally broke their winless streak, and the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens pulled off the unthinkable.
Missouri State University (6-3, 4-1 CUSA) 21, Liberty University (4-5, 3-2 CUSA) 17
The Missouri State Bears outlasted the Liberty Flames 21-17 to open CUSA’s Saturday slate in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty led 10-0 at halftime before the Bears rallied with two second-half touchdowns to go up 14-10. Quarterback Ethan Vasko’s late rushing score briefly put the Flames ahead, but freshman Tristian Gardner iced the Flames with a 13-yard touchdown catch in the final 30 seconds, snapping Liberty’s three-game win streak.
Mo State quarterback Jacob Clark: 286 passing yards, two touchdowns
LU running back Evan Dickens: 127 rushing yards, one touchdown
Mo State receiver Tristian Gardner: 80 receiving yards, one touchdown
Louisiana Tech University (5-4, 3-3 CUSA) 24, University of Delaware (5-4, 3-3 CUSA) 25
The Delaware Blue Hens were the only CUSA team to win on their home field this week, pulling off an improbable late comeback against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. The game stayed close and low scoring until well after halftime when LA Tech’s defensive back Jacob Fields scored on a 38-yard pick-six, giving the Bulldogs a 24-16 lead late in the fourth quarter. Delaware rallied, cutting the lead to 22-24 before miraculously recovering an onside kick and setting up Nate Reed’s 51-yard field goal to seal a 25-24 come-from-behind win.
UD quarterback Nick Minicucci: 304 passing yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions
LA Tech running back Clay Thevenin: 106 rushing yards, two touchdowns
UD receiver Sean Wilson: 107 receiving yards
Florida International University (4-5, 2-3 CUSA) 56, Middle Tennessee State University (1-8, 0-5 CUSA) 30
Florida International took care of business at Floyd Stadium, rolling past Middle Tennessee by 26 points to keep the Blue Raiders winless in conference play. FIU backup quarterback Joe Pesansky filled in seamlessly for the injured Keyone Jenkins, completing 17 of 28 passes for a season-high 257 yards and four touchdowns. MTSU running back Jekail Middlebrook and wide receiver Cam’ron Lacy also had strong performances, but their efforts fell short as the Blue Raiders dropped a high-scoring contest, 56-30.
FIU quarterback Joe Pesansky: 257 passing yards, four touchdowns, two interceptions
MTSU running back Jekail Middlebrook: 94 rushing yards, one touchdown
MTSU receiver Cam’ron Lacy: 109 receiving yards, one touchdown
Jacksonville State University (6-3, 5-0 CUSA) 30, University of Texas at El Paso (2-7, 1-4 CUSA) 27
The Jacksonville State Gamecocks edged the UTEP Miners 30-27 in a slugfest to stay undefeated in CUSA and clinch bowl eligibility. Freshman quarterback Caden Creel opened with a 77-yard touchdown to Deondre Johnson, and a 93-yard pick-six by Caleb Nix extended the Gamecocks’ lead to 17-7 in the second quarter. UTEP’s Wondame Davis Jr. posted a career-high 166 receiving yards and a touchdown to help tie the game at 27, but Jax State kicker Garrison Rippa sealed the win with a 45-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
UTEP quarterback Skylar Locklear: 244 passing yards, two touchdowns, one interception
Jax State running back Cam Cook, 121 rushing yards, one touchdown
UTEP receiver Wondame Davis Jr.: 166 receiving yards, one touchdown
Kennesaw State University (7-2, 5-0 CUSA) 24, New Mexico State University (3-6, 1-5 CUSA) 21
The Kennesaw State Owls stayed atop the conference standings with a 24-21 road win over New Mexico State on Saturday afternoon. The Owls built a 24-0 lead in the second quarter after a 55-yard touchdown catch by Clayton Coppock, but the Aggies stormed back with 21 unanswered points behind quarterback Logan Fife’s 241 passing yards and two touchdowns on the day. Kicker Ryan Hawk then missed a potential game-tying field goal late in the fourth quarter, allowing the Owls to run out the clock and drop the Aggies to 1-5 in the conference.
NM State quarterback Logan Fife: 241 passing yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions
KSU running back Chase Belcher: 92 rushing yards
KSU receiver Gabriel Benyard: 83 receiving yards, two touchdowns
Sam Houston State University (1-8, 0-5 CUSA) 21, Oregon State University (2-8, 1-0 PAC 12) 17
The Sam Houston Bearkats closed out CUSA play Saturday night with their first win of the year, a non-conference road victory over Oregon State. Despite being outgained 474-157 in total yards, the Bearkats capitalized on big special teams plays. Tim Burns Jr. returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 17-14 in the third quarter, and Brody Henderson sealed the 21-17 win with a 31-yard punt return touchdown in the fourth, allowing Sam Houston to prevail.
OSU quarterback Gabarri Johnson: 286 passing yards, two interceptions
OSU running back Anthony Hankerson: 197 rushing yards, two touchdowns
OSU wide receiver David Wells Jr.: 112 receiving yards
CUSA offensive leaders (As of Nov. 10, 2025)
Passing: UD quarterback Nick Minicucci: 2,725 passing yards, 17 touchdowns
Rushing: Jax State running back Cam Cook: 1,181 rushing yards, 12 touchdowns
Receiving: UD wide receiver Kyre Duplessis: 659 receiving yards, five touchdowns
Updated CUSA standings heading into Week 12
- Kennesaw State (7-2, 5-0 CUSA)
- Jax State (6-3, 5-0 CUSA)
- WKU (7-2, 5-1 CUSA)
- Mo State (6-3, 4-1 CUSA)
- Liberty (4-5, 3-2 CUSA)
- LA Tech (5-4, 3-3 CUSA)
- Delaware (5-4, 3-3 CUSA)
- FIU (4-5, 2-3 CUSA)
- UTEP (2-7, 1-4 CUSA)
- NM State (3-6, 1-5 CUSA)
- MTSU (1-8, 0-5 CUSA)
- Sam Houston (1-8, 0-5 CUSA)
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