DALLAS – Delaware’s Nick Minicucci, Jawarren Corbin and Steven Demboski, along with MTSU’s Dominic Bourgeois and NM State’s Xavier Rucker, earned CUSA Player of the Week honors for week eight. The weekly awards are voted on by a panel of the league’s media.
 
Offensive Player of the Week – Nick Minicucci, Delaware – Sr. – QB – Midland Park, N.J.
Minicucci was firing on all cylinders in the Blue Hens’ (3-4, 1-2 CUSA) 61-38 win over Missouri State as he returned after missing two games due to injury. He matched the UD single-game record with five passing touchdowns, going 20-29 through the air for 225 yards. He added a rushing score to tie his career-best six total touchdowns in a game. The Blue & Gold scored on nine straight drives and 10-11 overall, not including the two drives that ended in kneel downs to conclude the second and fourth quarters. UD scored 30 unanswered points in the second half before MSU's field goal.
 
Defensive Player of the Week – Jawarren Corbin, Delaware – Sr. – LB – Wildwood, Fla.
Corbin tallied his first career interception, forced fumble and sack, to go with a career-best six tackles in Delaware’s 61-38 win over Missouri State. He accounted for two of UD's three turnovers in the game. Corbin made his second-career start, stepping in for the team’s leading tackler, Colin Gallagher. His strip sack was recovered by Brandon Gorham and returned to the Bears’ four-yard line, setting up a Minicucci touchdown run. Corbin’s interception came at the Missouri State 23-yard line and also led to a Blue Hen touchdown.
 
Special Teams Player of the Week – Dominic Bourgeois, MTSU – Sr. – K – Baltimore, Md.
Bourgeois went a perfect 4-4 on field goal attempts for the Blue Raiders (4-3, 2-1 CUSA) in a pivotal 26-23 road win at FIU. He connected on field goals of 51, 50, 39 and 28 yards while converting both extra-point attempts as well for a total of 14 points – the sixth-most in a game in MTSU history. Bourgeois set a program single-game record with his two 50-plus-yarders and now holds the program record for field goals over 50 yards in a season with three. He is one of six FBS kickers this season to make two FGs of 50+ yards in the same game, and only the ninth in CUSA history ever to do it.
 
Freshman of the Week – Xavier Rucker, New Mexico State – Fr. – S – Acworth, Ga.
After switching over to the defensive side of the ball midseason, Rucker earned playing time on defense along with maintaining his role on special teams in a 30-24 triumph over Sam Houston. He recorded three solo tackles with two coming on special teams and one on defense in the fourth quarter. Rucker’s two special teams stops prevented the Bearkats from attaining prime field position, stopping Tim Burns Jr. for a two-yard punt return and halting Alijah Cason for a minimal 15-yard kickoff return.
 
Offensive Lineman of the Week – Steven Demboski, Delaware – Gr. – C – Hillsdale, N.J.
Demboski led the charge for the Fightin’ Blue Hens offensive line in the 61-38 win over Missouri State. On the ground, the Hens rushed for a season-best 232 yards, more than double the previous season high (112), and the most since last year’s 44-41 win over UConn on September 13 when the Hens rushed for 247 yards. Demboski recorded a 77.1 PFF run-block grade, which was the highest along the UD offensive line, the second-highest among all CUSA offensive linemen and the second-highest among all FBS centers.
 
2026 Weekly Award Winners
 
Offensive Players of the Week
A31     Trey Hedden, NM State
S7      Jamill Williams, Jax State
S14     JJ Kohl, FIU
S21     Sean Wilson, Delaware
S28     Caden Creel, Jax State
O5      James Jones, NM State
O12    Caden Creel, Jax State
O19    Roman Gagliano, MTSU
O26    Nick Minicucci, Delaware
 
Defensive Players of the Week
A31     Gabe Peterson, NM State
S7      Nick Session, NM State
S14     Elisha Baldridge, FIU
S21     Jackson Lowe, MTSU
S28     Ronald Moore Jr., Liberty
O5      Aidan Vaughan, Liberty
O12    Tywon Christopher, Kennesaw State
O19    Jared Lloyd, Missouri State
O26    Jawarren Corbin, Delaware
 
Special Teams Players of the Week
A31     Conor Donaghy, Jax State
S7      Triston Morgan, Kennesaw State
S14     Dominic Bourgeois, MTSU
S21     Caleb Nix, Jax State
S28     Garrison Rippa, Jax State
O5      Chase Reeves, Liberty
O12    Robert Czeremcha, FIU
O19    Yousef Obeid, Missouri State
O26    Dominic Bourgeois, MTSU
 
Freshmen of the Week
A31     Carson Su’esu’e, NM State
S7      Kevin Moore, Delaware
S14     Felix Visser, FIU
S21     Tristan Lyles, Jax State
S28     Jonathan Stafford Jr., WKU
O5      Jonathan Stafford Jr., WKU
O12    Jonathan Stafford Jr., WKU
O19    Tyler Bell, Delaware
O26    Xavier Rucker, NM State
 
Offensive Linemen of the Week
A31     Ma’kyi Lee, NM State
S7      Lance Johnson, Jax State
S14     Zaire Flournoy, FIU
S21     Reese Tripp, MTSU
S28     D.J. Geth, Liberty
O5      Alex Birchmeier, Liberty
O12    D.J. Geth, Liberty
O19    Ryan Walker, Jax State
O26    Steven Demboski, Delaware