Week 4 is in the books, and 11 of 12 Conference USA schools took the field Saturday. There were nine non-conference matchups where the league finished 5-4 with three FBS victories, one conference clash between Delaware and FIU, and New Mexico State took the week off with a bye.
- James Madison 31, Liberty 13
- Delaware 38, FIU 16
- Kennesaw State 28, Arkansas State 21
- Jacksonville State 45, Murray State (FCS) 10
- Marshall 42, Middle Tennessee 28
- Missouri State 42, UT Martin (FCS) 10
- WKU 31, Nevada 16
- Louisiana Tech 30, Southern Miss 20
- Texas 55, Sam Houston 0
- ULM 31, UTEP 25
Notable occurrences include Liberty’s first 1-3 start since joining the FBS, as well as Kennesaw State’s first-ever non-conference FBS victory. Two teams that particularly stood out in Week 4, as well as Week 3, were Delaware
and Louisiana Tech — which both appear to be in the league’s upper echelon in the early moments of the 2025 season.
Louisiana Tech 3-1 for first time since 2020
Louisiana Tech joined a restocked CUSA in 2013 after the fall of the WAC and immediately shined as one of the conference’s most consistent winners. The Bulldogs qualified for the CUSA Championship Game in 2014 and 2016 and won six consecutive bowls under Skip Holtz.
After Holtz’s dismissal at the conclusion of 2021, Louisiana Tech never resurged to that level. The Bulldogs haven’t finished above .500 since 2019, but one bizarre incident last December offered a perfect springboard into Sonny Cumbie’s fourth season. Marshall opted out of the Independence Bowl due to a lack of available players, and 5-7 Louisiana Tech offered to fill the vacancy and test its mettle against American Conference champion Army. While the Bulldogs lost, those extra practices and experience are now paying dividends.
Cumbie’s Bulldogs are off to their first 3-1 start since 2020, collecting two-straight decisive wins over FBS competition. In Week 3, Louisiana Tech ran New Mexico State out of town in a 49-14 beatdown, fueled by dual-threat quarterback Blake Baker and a relentless run defense. The Bulldogs sustained their high level of offensive play into Week 4 as Baker made his second start, leading his team to a 30-10 halftime lead over former CUSA rival Southern Miss. Louisiana Tech eventually claimed a 30-20 victory as the Golden Eagles couldn’t crawl out of that crater.
Even Louisiana Tech’s lone defeat can be spun into a positive on the résumé. The Bulldogs traveled to Death Valley for a night game at LSU in Week 2 and limited the Tigers to a 23-7 victory. They bottled LSU’s rushing offense to 128 yards on a 3.8 average and won the turnover battle in the low-scoring affair.
So far, defense is the calling card of Louisiana Tech which allows 14.3 points per game — ranking 22nd in the FBS and first in the CUSA by almost eight entire points. The Bulldogs also field a top 30 defense nationally by rushing average (3.1 yards per carry) and surrender 47 yards fewer than any of their conference peers (100.3 yards allowed per game). Offensively, the two games started by Baker feature the most points in a two-game stretch vs. FBS opponents for Louisiana Tech since November 2021.
The Bulldogs are rolling right now, and in a wide-open conference, they could find themselves on the doorstep of contention as the season progresses.
Delaware collects second-straight FBS win
There are exceptions (see: Jacksonville State), but transitioning to the FBS isn’t supposed to be easy. Kennesaw State went 2-10 off the bat last year. Sam Houston finished 3-9 in its inaugural 2023 season.
Four weeks into its FBS tenure and the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens already have three victories. Delaware won back-to-back contests as underdogs to FBS competition, stunning UConn 44-41 in an overtime thriller before heading to Pitbull Stadium and rocking FIU 38-16 last Saturday.
After a definitive win over a seemingly improved FIU team, Delaware is a perfect 1-0 in CUSA history. However, the Fightin’ Blue Hens are ineligible for the 2025 CUSA Championship Game due to restrictions applied to transitioning members from the FCS.
Although they can’t participate in the league title game the first week of December, Delaware is putting the conference on notice already. UConn, which won nine games last year and returned some of its top talent, took Syracuse to overtime and Syracuse is fresh off a definitive road win at Clemson. Yet, Delaware’s high-flying offense posted 512 yards and 44 points on the Huskies, outlasting them in overtime in a back-and-forth affair. Meanwhile, an FIU defense which held Penn State to 10 points at halftime yielded 21 to the Blue Hens in the second quarter alone. Delaware’s offense thrived once again, converting 11-of-16 third downs to consistently move the sticks in a 22-point victory.
Delaware even showed tremendous poise in its lone defeat. As an FBS newcomer, the Blue Hens were only out-gained 398-396 at Colorado in Week 2, firing for 312 passing yards on the Buffaloes. Also, they played a strong enough defensive first half to cause Deion Sanders to switch quarterbacks. Delaware’s strength in its inaugural season is its skill position players. Starting quarterback Nick Minicucci averages 266 passing yards per game, delivering eight touchdowns to two interceptions on a 65.2 completion rate. Running back Jo Silver averages 7.2 yards per carry, good for eighth in the FBS among all rushers with at least 45 carries. Also, wide receiver Kyre Duplessis is 32nd in the FBS and second in the CUSA in receiving yards with 306, displaying tremendous talent at QB, RB, and WR.
