MAGNOLIA, Ark. (Nov. 15, 1997) – For the third week in a row, the Southern Arkansas Football team engineered a second half rally as the Muleriders scored twelve points in the fourth quarter to topple Henderson State on Family Day at Wilkins Stadium, while also claiming a share of the Gulf South Conference Championship; the program's first conference title since Raymond "Rip" Powell's 1972 SAU Football team shared the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference Championship.
 
The Muleriders conclude the regular season with nine wins, the most for the program in a single season since 1971. Saturday's win was the second straight for Southern Arkansas over the Reddies and it was anything but easy for Steve Roberts and Company in the regular season finale.
 
After a scoreless opening fifteen minutes of play, Henderson State capped an 80-yard drive at the 14:55 mark of the second quarter with a touchdown pass that gave the Reddies a 7-0 lead. Just under three minutes later, Southern Arkansas would answer with a seven-play drive that covered 70 yards and ended with sophomore quarterback Adam Pendergrass (Van Buren, Ark.) finding the end zone from a yard away to even the score at 7 with 11:56 to play in the first half.
 
Henderson State would take a lead into the halftime break courtesy of a one-yard touchdown run to stamp a seven-play, 53-yard drive. The Reddies would have an opportunity to push their lead to ten midway through the third quarter, but a field goal attempt from 30 yards away missed left and the deficit would remain a touchdown for the Muleriders.
 
In the second half, SAU's first two drives resulted in back-to-back punts, but the Muleriders, in championship fashion, would cash in on their following two possessions, both in the fourth quarter, to take a 19-14 lead with 8:46 remaining in the game.
 
Sophomore wide receiver Drew Cone (Van Buren, Ark.) hauled in a 25-yard pass from freshman quarterback Tim Barrington at the 12:00 minute mark of the fourth quarter, but a two-point rush try was stuffed as the Muleriders trailed 14-13. SAU called upon its defense on the ensuing possession and the unit responded by forcing a three and out that resulted in no yardage for the Reddies and a punt.
 
The Muleriders needed less than two minutes as Barrington carried in from five yards out on the fourth play of a drive that took just 1:43 off of the game clock. A two-point try to bring the game back to a seven-point lead failed and the Muleriders held a 19-14 advantage.
 
One of the biggest defensive stands of the season came late in the fourth quarter after a Mulerider fumble gave Henderson State the football at the SAU 36-yard line. On second down and 11 for the Reddies from the 37 of SAU, a 22-yard completion put Henderson State in the red zone at the Mulerider 15-yard line, before a four-yard rush pushed the football near the ten yard line.
The next play proved the difference as sophomore defensive end Kendall Hill (Nacogdoches, Texas) recorded a tackle for loss totaling 11 yards that backed Henderson State up to the 22 of SAU. Back-to-back incompletions by the Reddie offense led to a turnover-on-downs and the Muleriders survived to claim a share of the league title.
 
Freshman halfback Kendrick Law (Shreveport, La.) led the SAU rushing attack with 89 total yards on nine carries, while redshirt freshman halfback Kevin Little added 56 yards on the ground on seven carries. Junior fullback Jason Smelser (Monroe, La.) rushed for 52 yards on ten carries with Pendergrass totaling 48 yards on ten totes as the Muleriders tallied 263 yards rushing.
 
Southern Arkansas recorded eleven tackles for loss and were led defensively by Hill and senior linebacker Anthony Hullaby (Ringgold, La.) who each registered ten total stops, while senior linebacker Fred Perry (Fort Smith, Ark.) and sophomore linebacker Josh Rankin (Mauriceville, Texas) added nine tackles apiece in the win. Hill and Perry along with junior defensive lineman Mel Polk (Broken Bow, Okla.) each had two tackles for loss with Hill's totaling a dozen loss yards, including the aforementioned stop during the game's biggest moment.
 
Junior defensive back Lucas Melott (Irving, Texas) intercepted a pass in the first half and the Muleriders broke up three Henderson State pass attempts as the Reddies completed seven of 15 pass attempts for 85 yards, while adding 171 yards on the ground.
 
Southern Arkansas finished the season ranked third in the South Region rankings setting the stage for a top-ten first round playoff matchup at No. 5 Albany State the following weekend. The Muleriders, in just their third year at the NCAA Division II level, claimed a share of the Gulf South Conference Championship, while making the playoffs for the first time in program history.