UTEP at Delaware in Conference USA football
Blue Hens host Miners in 2025 finale with possible bowl bid available
Joe Silver’s 1-yard run scoring run has extended Delaware’s lead to 31-14 with 2:01 left in the first half over UTEP at Delaware Stadium.
The 6-play, 62-yard drive featured Nick Minicucci’s 47-yard pass to Kyre Duplessis on the play before the touchdown.
UTEP had just cut the Blue Hens’ lead to 24-14 with 5:05 left in the second period when Skyler Locklear passed 64 yards to Josh Schuchts his second long TD toss.
Delaware has turned two more big defensive plays into points.
Blake Matthews stopped Miners running back Ashten Emory for no gain on fourth-and-2 from the UTEP 42.
Delaware then added Nate Reed’s 37-yard field goal with 10:24 left in the first half to extend its lead to 17-7.
But the Blue Hens quickly added to that on Gavin Moul’s 16-yard return of a fumble for another TD that made it 24-7.
Delaware has outgained the Miners 178-74 in total yards.
After being stopped on downs at the UTEP 37 on one series, Delaware covered the necessary ground on the next to extend its lead.
The Blue Hens lead the Miners 14-7 at Delaware Stadium after a 4-yard TD pass to freshman tight end Scott Moore with 14:26 left in the second quarter.
Delaware ate up big chunks of yardage on the 9-play, 69-yard march, which was all first and second downs. Nick Minicucci’s 12-yard pass to running back Joe Silver, back after missing several games with an injury, was the longest.
The first career interception by Blue Hens freshman Jamarion Kolagbodi has yielded dividends for the Blue Hens.
The cornerback picked off a UTEP pass on the game’s first play at Delaware Stadium.
Delaware took over at the 50 and nine plays later quarterback Nick Minicucci scooted up the middle on fourth-and-2 for a 17-yard touchdown with 11:11 left in the first period.
Another key play was Minicucci’s 7-yard pass to Sean Wilson on fourth-and-5 from the UTEP 45.
But the Miners quickly tied it 7-7 after Skyler Locklear floated a 49-yard TD pass to Kenny Odom, who’d gotten a step on his coverage as he sped downfield on the next series.
Delaware’s last four home football games have been decided in the final seconds.
There’s no reason to expect anything different in the Blue Hens’ 2025 regular-season finale.
Delaware (5-6, 3-4) and UTEP (2-9, 1-7) kick off at 1 p.m. in the Conference USA game at Delaware Stadium on Nov. 29.
A victory makes Delaware bowl eligible in its first FBS-level season, though NCAA rules regarding transitional programs mean there must be a shortage of bowl-worthy teams for the Blue Hens to get a bid.
The last four Delaware Stadium matchups have ended on Nick Minicucci’s overtime touchdown run that beat UConn 44-41, a missed field goal in a 27-24 loss to Western Kentucky, a late onside kick recovery to beat Middle Tennessee 31-28 and Nate Reed’s 51-yard field goal that nipped Louisiana Tech 25-24.
It has certainly been riveting football theatre.
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UTEP, moving next year to the Mountain West, making this the first and likely last meeting between the schools, has had its own down-to-the-wire decisions, including in its last two games. The Miners were tied with Missouri State in the fourth period before losing 38-24 and were beaten by a late long field goal against Jacksonville State 30-27.
Such is the nature of Conference USA and life in the bowl subdivision, the Blue Hens have learned.
“This conference has been so, everything’s a close game,” Delaware coach Ryan Carty said. “There are so many overtime games. There’s so many times where those one-score games kind of go one way or another at the end of the game.’’
The Hens expect nothing different against UTEP.
“They’ve been in almost all of them,” Carty said of the Miners. “It seems like every week they’re either having a comeback victory or comeback loss, they’re in a three-point game, they’re in a seven-point game, one-possession game . . . Coach [Scotty] Walden has done such a great job of keeping these guys fighting together and fighting till the end. They play hard and they play physical and they finish games.”
Delaware will honor 22 players in Senior Day activities pregame . . . Fintan Brose and Jack Hall will play in their 55th Delaware games, which will tie them at No. 3 in UD history . . . Nick Minicucci is No. 1 in CUSA and fourth nationally with 290.5 passing yards per game, a UD single-season record. He is first in CUSA and No. 8 in FBS with 307.3 total yards per game. His 3,196 yards passing this year are fourth most in a UD season . . . Delaware is No. 1 in CUSA in both punt (15.7) and kick return (23.5) yardage . . . Delaware is 30-1 under Ryan Carty when scoring 30 or more points . . . UTEP has No. 2 passing defense (213.73 ypg) in CUSA but allowed 606 yards and seven touchdowns last two games . . . UTEP has No. 5 third-down defense in FBS (.294).
Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.
Delaware Valley picked up five bonus point wins to take a 40-29 home dual win over High Point in Frenchtown.
Luke Cyphert started the dual at 215 with a pin over High Point’s Kaleb DeFalco. Julian Bednar (120), and Tristian Fawthrop (132) also won via pin.
Oliver Paul gave the Terriers (3-0) five points off a 21-6 tech over John McCarthy at 175, Michael Hasson took a 23-7 tech over Tyler Brarman at 144 and state qualifier Sebastian Dobak earned a 7-1 decision over Gerard Empirio at 150. Vincent Rainey outlasted Thomas Jaust at 113 for a 7-4 sudden victory win.
Trey Falkenstein picked up a forfeit at 138 to make it a four match sweep for Del Val between 132 and 150.
Luke Tompkins recorded a pin for the Wildcats (1-1) at 157 while Jack Kitchart picked up a pin at 190. Region 1 third place finisher Gavin Mericle took a 2-1 decision win over Luken Alberdi at 285, Logan Takach recorded a 7-3 decision over Tanner Donaruma at 126 and Jayden Ruplall earned five points at 165 with a 17-1 tech over Rylan Bush.
Primo Maschio won the $110,000 DSBF series championship for sophomore male pacers Thursday at Bally’s Dover
Photos by Quenton Egan Photography
DOVER — Following decisive wins in both preliminary legs, Primo Maschio dug deep to head off Lew Not Lou for a 1:52.3 triumph in the $110,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders’ Fund (DSBF) series championship for 3-year-old male pacers on Thursday, Dec. 18, at Bally’s Dover.
Primo Maschio and driver Trae Porter landed second-over on the first turn behind Shore Not Beach (driven by Pat Berry), who worked to clear early leader Lew Not Lou (Jason Thompson) for the lead at the end of a :27 first quarter. Left uncovered off the first turn, Primo Maschio drove on to assume control of the terms with a circuit to go, and the Badlands Hanover-Primadonna gelding rolled to the half in :55.
Up the backstretch and through the far turn, Primo Maschio faced sustained pressure from Lew Not Lou, who re-emerged from third to force a :28.2 third quarter and pose an even bigger threat off the home turn.
“I was a little worried,” said Porter of Lew Not Lou taking aim at Primo Maschio off the corner. “He got to my saddle pad, but as soon as we got to the top of the stretch, my colt dug in deeper. He’s such a nice horse.”
Primo Maschio kept Lew Not Lou a neck at bay while Shore Not Beach stayed on from the pocket to finish third, just a length shy of the top pair.
Walter Callahan trains Primo Maschio, now a 19-time winner with $414,618 in earnings from 27 career starts, for Forrest Bartlett. As the overwhelming 1-10 favorite, Primo Maschio paid $2.20 to win.
Tommy Denvir scored a game-high 30 points for Delaware Valley in its 61-51 win over Bernards in Alexandria.
Delaware Valley (2-0) led 40-27 at halftime against Bernards.
Lochlyn Marsh scored 12 points for Delaware Valley. Peter Dubljevic had eight points.
Ryan Frame and Richie Jobs each scored 16 points for Bernards (0-3). Ricky Giebel tallied 10 points, five rebounds, four assists and five steals. Casey Hoeckele recorded 12 rebounds with four points and three blocks.
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