Delaware has already been to a bowl game since its 2025 climb to the Football Bowl Subdivision in Conference USA.
But some accomplishments have eluded the Blue Hens, who have a great opportunity to embellish their short CUSA history on Oct. 27.
Delaware (3-4 overall, 1-2 CUSA) will visit Western Kentucky (3-4, 2-1) with a 7 p.m. kickoff at Houchens-Smith Stadium in Bowling Green.
The game is being aired on the CBS Sports Network.
Delaware has lost seven straight road games since winning at Florida International in its CUSA debut last year. That does include three visits to Power 4 schools, but it’s a drought the Blue Hens would love to end.
Their chances to be a six-win bowl-eligible team at season’s end would also be greatly enhanced with a triumph at WKU, which rallied to win 27-24 at Delaware Stadium in the teams’ 2025 matchup.
Delaware has also not won back-to-back games this year, but has a chance after pulling away late to down Missouri State 61-38 a week ago at Delaware Stadium.
Coach Ryan Carty hopes there is positive carryover. The Hilltoppers are also coming off a league win 16-3 at Sam Houston.
“The things that made us successful last week, we've got to be even better at them this week in order to win on the road,” he said.
The Blue Hens benefitted last week from the return of quarterback Nick Minicucci after he missed the two previous games, CUSA losses to Liberty and Middle Tennessee. Minicucci, the preseason CUSA Offensive Player of the Year, was his old self, tying a school record with five TD passes and running for another.
“When you don't have a full allotment of 105 people,” Carty said of playing on the road, “when you’re in a tough environment, when it's going to be obviously a little bit more against you, and the fans are going to be against you, and you're going to feel a little bit more isolated . . . It might get loud when things go wrong.
“We have to make sure that we double down on the things that made us successful with the energy we had on the sideline and the execution that we had and the discipline that we had.”
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.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware at Western Kentucky in Conference USA football, live updates
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