MISSOURI CITY — Tyrann Mathieu stood on the sidelines while rain misted around him Tuesday night under the bright lights at Hall Stadium.

On the field in front of him, the football players from Fort Bend Marshall High School ran drills.

Despite their surprise visit from the Texans safety, they focused on the last 20 minutes of practice.

After all, in a few days they are heading to Arlington to compete for the Class 5A Div. II championship.

It’s been an emotional few days for the 15-0 Buffalos.

Last week, senior safety Drew Conley was shot in a family dispute, allegedly by his uncle. He died hours later from his injuries.

In the midst of mourning the loss of one of their own, the team defeated Corpus Christi Calallen in Friday's state semifinal to advance to its first state final.

Mathieu heard about the team and what it is going through this week and decided to pay them a visit.

He lost two of his closest friends when he was in college — one of them to gun violence — so he knows all too well what the Marshall players are going through.

“I’m sure a lot of them are thinking, ‘that could have been me,’” he said. “That’s tough.”

For Mathieu, football provided distraction and healing. The sport has gotten him through a lot of tough times.

He told the team that they had a special opportunity this weekend.

“Not everyone gets the chance to be a champion at something,” he said. “That’s what we all want and you are in a unique situation.”

He went on to tell them how nothing came easy for him.

“My father is in prison for murder,” he told them. “I lost two of my best friends. Every time something hard is happening, you have to fall forward so these things won’t hold you back.”

The Buffalos listened intently to Mathieu, who urged them to work hard and play hard for each other. He told them to listen to their coaches and to take advantage of the opportunity in front of them.

He then took a few questions from the players, who asked a variety of things like who he turned to when times were tough to how he’s been so successful despite being smaller than a lot of other football players.

Mathieu stayed at the stadium for about an hour, making sure to take lots of photos with the players and chatting with several of them.

“I’ll be rooting for you boys,” he said to the team as he said goodbye.

Mathieu was all smiles as he headed out.

“I remember being their age and how it felt to play in big games,” he said. “It’s great to be able to be here and meet them all.”