Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
0-2 , 0-0
Missouri State
1-1 , 0-0
Marshall Football Falls To Missouri State, 21-20
9/6/2025 10:22:00 PM | Football
Herd returns home to face Eastern Kentucky next Saturday
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall Football welcomed the Tony Gibson era to Huntington, but Missouri State rallied late to earn a 21-20 win over the Herd in front of 28,564 fans at Joan C. Edwards Stadium on Saturday night.
With the loss, Marshall falls to 0-2 on the season.
"First off, thank you to all the fans that came out today. It was a great atmosphere," Marshall coach Tony Gibson said. "I'm very, very disappointed in the outcome. Congratulations to Coach Beard on the win. Give his staff and team a lot of credit – they outplayed us, outcoached us."
The Herd held a 20-14 lead in the fourth quarter, but Missouri State scored the go-ahead touchdown with 2:12 left after a big screen pass and later intercepted a pass by Marshall quarterback Zion Turner late as the Herd tried to rally.
Turner finished 13 of 24 for 83 yards in the loss. He also rushed for 60 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, the Herd was led by Kerion Martin, who had a career-high 13 tackles with two tackles for loss and a sack. Jamaal Whyce also had eight tackles with 1.5 sacks in the contest.
Marshall took a 17-7 halftime lead after scoring the final 17 points of the second quarter and later took a 20-7 advantage following the second field goal of the game by Lorcan Quinn – a 33-yarder.
After Missouri State took the lead, the Herd quickly responded with chunk plays that got the offense in rhythm.
Zion Turner connected with Ben Turner for a 19-yard pass, which preceded a 28-yard run by Jo'Shon Barbie that put the Herd in scoring territory. Zion Turner then scored the first home touchdown of the season with a 14-yard rush to knot things up.
Justin Williams-Thomas later added to the big-play capabilities of Marshall's offense when he took a handoff 37 yards to the end zone for a 14-7 lead.
The first field goal of Quinn's career was a memorable one as he booted a 50-yarder that made good on Marvae Myers' first interception in a Herd uniform.
Marshall returns to Joan C. Edwards Stadium at 6 p.m. on Sept. 13 when the Herd battles Eastern Kentucky.
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---HerdZone.com---
Team Stats
MSU 7, MAR 0
MSU - Green Jr.,Ramone 57 yd pass from Clark,Jacob (Obeid,Yousef kick) 8 plays, 88 yards, TOP 03:08
MSU 7, MAR 7
MAR - Turner,Zion 14 yd run (Quinn,Lorcan kick), 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:50
MSU 7, MAR 14
MAR - Williams-Thomas,Justin 37 yd run (Quinn,Lorcan kick), 10 plays, 76 yards, TOP 04:43
MSU 7, MAR 17
MAR - Quinn,Lorcan 50 yd field goal 4 plays, 4 yards, TOP 00:54
MSU 7, MAR 20
MAR - Quinn,Lorcan 33 yd field goal 4 plays, 4 yards, TOP 02:04
MSU 14, MAR 20
MSU - Robinson,Jmariyae 52 yd pass from Clark,Jacob (Obeid,Yousef kick) 3 plays, 74 yards, TOP 01:03
MSU 21, MAR 20
MSU - Askren,Jeron 8 yd pass from Clark,Jacob (Obeid,Yousef kick) 9 plays, 80 yards, TOP 05:25
