We hope you enjoy reading the first installment of our five-part Homecoming Highlights series where we take a trip down memory lane and highlight a homecoming game(s) as part of Southern Arkansas University's Virtual Homecoming Week. Former and current Mulerider student-athletes and Mulerider fans: we want you to share your favorite SAU memories with us. Let us know on Facebook or email sausid@saumag.edu to be featured.
 
MAGNOLIA, Ark. – A 13-yard touchdown run on a reverse play by freshman quarterback Donald Butler capped an 8-play, 80-yard drive that began with just 4:49 to play in the fourth quarter and the Muleriders trailing #22 Arkansas Tech 25-21. The scoring plunge which gave Southern Arkansas a 28-25 advantage following a successful point after attempt from Saul DeLa Cruz was upheld after a handful of highly impactful defensive plays by the Muleriders forced Arkansas Tech to come away empty during two offensive drives during the game's final 97 seconds.
 
Over 6,000 fans packed inside Wilkins Stadium on a bright, sunny afternoon and witnessed the third victory of the season for Steve Quinn's Muleriders which avenged a 24-6 defeat to ATU a season ago. The win stands as the program's third-consecutive win on Homecoming; the longest such streak since the early 1980s. ATU entered at 5-1 on the season, nationally ranked according to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and was previously unbeaten on the road.
 
Following Butler's first career rushing touchdown on his lone touch of the contest, the Southern Arkansas defense forced a critical turnover as sophomore Brian Davis jumped a second down pass by ATU's Josh Price for an interception at the SAU48. With two timeouts to work with and 1:29 remaining, the Wonder Boys promptly forced SAU into a three-and-out.
 
A Wonder Boy touchdown would have given ATU its fourth different lead of the afternoon, but Carey Baker's defense buckled down on the final drive. Having used their final two timeouts in an effort to get the football back, Tech's final drive of the game ended quickly as a first down sack of Price by sophomore Austin Taylor preceded a quick incompletion on second down which led to sophomore Kenny Pettway's sack of Price on 3^rd and 19 to end the game as time expired.
 
Southern Arkansas recorded five sacks in the win, which totaled 35 yards, with the two biggest quarterback takedowns coming on the aforementioned final Wonder Boy drive of the game. The five sacks are the most in a game for the Muleriders since the unit recorded five sacks totaling 34 lost yards on September 30, 2000, when SAU topped West Alabama 35-21 on the road.
 
Arkansas Tech jumped out to a 12-0 lead in Saturday's Gulf South Conference tilt; the 63^rd meeting all-time between the two programs in a series that dates back to a 0-0 stalemate in 1930.
 
ATU Tailback Travis Horn scored on a five-yard run with 2:11 left in the first quarter. Tommy Edwards' PAT failed, leaving the score 6-0. Horn's run finished an 80-yard, 15-play drive. The Wonder Boys made it 12-0 with 4:48 left in the half with a one-yard run by redshirt freshman tailback Marcus Godfrey of Junction City. Godfrey's 2-point run for a conversion was snuffed out.
 
SAU answered when true freshman Rodney Hill of Shreveport (Byrd) scampered for a nine-yard touchdown to end a 65-yard, nine-play march. Saul DeLa Cruz's PAT closed the margin to 12-7 with 2: 10 left in the half.
 
With only 19 ticks left in the half, wide receiver Nik Lewis hauled in an 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ted Williams after a 65-yard, six-play assault. DeLa Cruz toed the conversion to put the Riders up for the first time and gave them a 14-12 advantage at the half.
 
ATU regained the lead in the third period when quarterback Josh Price connected with wide receiver Greg Washington of Nashville for a 75-yard pass play and a touchdown. Price's pass for a 2-point conversion failed, 18-12, Tech, 11: 19 left in the stanza.
 
The Riders bounced back with Williams keeping for a 15-yard touchdown to finish a seven-play, 67-yard march and DeLa Cruz split the uprights on the PAT, 21-18, SAU with 1:03 left in the third quarter.
 
The Wonder Boys got another touchdown from Horn from the two after having to cover only 34 yards in seven plays, getting a crucial penalty on SAU to keep the drive alive. Branson Pyle kicked the extra point to put ATU up 25-21 with 10:26 left in the game.
 
Williams, the sophomore signal caller from Pineland, Texas, saw his career day conclude with 126 rushing yards on 32 carries with a touchdown to go along with 145 yards through the air on 10-of-19 passing. Lewis hauled in six of those completions for 88 yards and a score. Senior running back Forrest Curry averaged 8.2 yards on six carries and the Muleriders tallied 257 yards on the ground at an average of 4.3 yards per tote.
 
Southern Arkansas eclipsed the 400-yard mark offensively as they produced just over five yards per play in 79 snaps. Defensively, the Muleriders held Tech to 285 yards of total offense. In the game's final 9:30 and after the Wonder Boys took their final lead of the afternoon, SAU tightened up even more. Down the stretch and over four drives, ATU went backwards as the Wonder Boys had negative nine yards of offense in 12 plays which resulted in two punts, the Davis interception and the game-ending sacks.
 
Davis added a team-leading 13 total tackles to his individual ledger which included the interception. Senior linebacker Eddie Key joined Davis in double digit stops as he recorded a dozen including 2.0 TFL with a half sack.
 
During halftime, members of the 1951 Southern State College football team were introduced as part of the team's 50-year anniversary of winning the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference Championship. That season, the SSC 'Riders finished with a 9-1 record overall and an unbeaten 7-0 mark in AIC play.
 
Italicized wording above is from original recap by SAU Sports Information on October 20, 2001.