It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but University had no problem doing just that on Friday. They walked away with a 35-27 win over the Fort Bend Marshall Buffalos. For the Trojans, this counts as revenge for the 52-14 victory the Buffalos walked away with the last time they faced one another back in November of 2024.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead University to victory, but perhaps none more so than Savoy Nichols, who threw for 141 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 52 yards on only five carries. Darrius Thomas was another key back, rushing for 101 yards and one score on only ten carries.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: University was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 290 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Khylen Estelle
| 11/14/25 vs Fort Bend Marshall | 1 |
| 11/07/25 @ Ellison | 1 |
| 10/31/25 vs Brenham | 1 |
| 10/24/25 @ Waco | 3 |
| 10/17/25 vs Belton | 2 |
| 10/09/25 vs Rudder | 1 |
University didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Khylen Estelle and London Smith. Estelle is also on a roll when it comes to defended passes, as he's now defended at least one in each of the last six games he's played. Joaquin Martinez was another major factor on D, making 16 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Despite the loss, Fort Bend Marshall still got an impressive performance from Kaeden Johnson, who rushed for 138 yards and four TDs, and also threw for 140 yards on nine of 17 attempts. Hershal Miller was Johnson's top target, picking up 28 receiving yards.
University has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 37.8 points over those games. As for Fort Bend Marshall, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-4.
Looking ahead, University will face off against Bastrop at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 1,006 yards in their previous games. Fort Bend Marshall does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
