Friendswood falls to Marshall 24-14
September 9, 2025
Head coach Jordan Johnson might look back at this game and know that the outcome could have been a lot different than the 24-14 Marshall victory.
Marshall recovered two balls in the end zone on Friendswood punt attempts with the second recovery after a blocked punt for an 18-7 Marshall lead.
Take away those two plays on special teams, and the Mustangs win 14-12.
“Those were big things, but there were a lot of miscues throughout the entire game,” Friendswood coach Jordan Johnson said. “You can’t really put your finger on (one thing). The good thing is, from what I saw, all the mistakes are repairable.”
Marshall scored first with 6:24 left in the first quarter but missed the PAT for a 6-0 lead.
Friendswood finally got its offense going in the second quarter. Quarterback Josh Brister capped an 11-play, 71-yard scoring drive with a 4-yard TD run on a second-and-goal play.
Dylan Visintainer’s PAT gave the Mustangs a 7-6 lead with 6:59 remaining in the first half.
Friendswood started the drive with one first down and minus-14 total yards. But Brister, 0-for-3 passing until the drive, hit Gianni Gerami for a 38-yard completion to the Marshall 30-yard line on a third-and-8 play to spark the drive.
Brister also threw a 7-yarder to Gerami and a 9-yarder to Tuggy Butler to pick up first downs — the latter on third-and-6 from the Buffs’ 12.
Yet other than a scoring drive late in the game, the Mustangs struggled to consistently sustain long drives.
“Get in a consistent rhythm is what we couldn’t do tonight,” Johnson said. “When you make simple mistakes, it’s hard to get into a rhythm. When you’re sound and your guys are where they’re supposed to be and you’re making plays on the ball, the rhythm comes naturally. When you’re not doing that, it’s like playing disjointed music. Nothing sounds right.”
Johnson, though, didn’t see anything that couldn’t be fixed.
“We need to get more snaps,” he said. “We need to catch more balls (in practice) and just get those reps to make those plays next time.”
Marshall had 30 total yards in the first half, including just one pass completion for 2 yards on four attempts, and didn’t pick up a first down until its last drive of the half.
Yet the Buffs opened the second half with a five-play, 72-yard scoring drive to re-take the lead on Hershal Miller’s 13-yard TD run with 9:03 left in the third quarter.
The Buffs pushed their lead to 24-7, when Micah Roseboro recovered the ball in the end zone after Jaiden Young blocked a punt with 2:27 to play in the third quarter.
Friendswood had a chance to get closer, after the Mustangs blocked a Marshall punt and took over at the Buffs’ 21 on the first play of the fourth quarter. But an illegal procedure penalty wiped out a 24-yard TD pass and the Mustangs ended up turning the ball over on downs.
Marshall got its final score, when Johnson threw a 47-yard TD pass with 2:50 left in the game.
Friendswood answered with Brister throwing an 11-yard TD pass to Maddux Joy with 1:01 remaining. It capped a six-play, 81-yard drive.
Friendswood rolled up 180 yards on offense — 121 passing and 59 yards rushing. Brister completed 9-of-23 passes for 121 yards. Gerami had four catches for 63 yards, while Joy had two for 53.
Friendswood’s defense played well — allowing 160 total yards, including just 50 rushing. QB Kaeden Johnson completed 8-of-11 passes for 110 yards to lead the Buffs.
“They played fantastic,” Johnson said of his defense.
Overall, Johnson saw some positives going into the game at Fort Bend Willowridge.
“Even in a loss, where you had multiple mistakes, you kind of see the form of your team, and I’m really encouraged about our group,” Johnson said. “Our best football is ahead of us. We would never strive to play the best football of our season in non-district. We’re going to take these next two games to get better, that’s for sure.”
