Cal Poly approaches the line of scrimmage a yard shy of the end zone and extending their lead to 24-3 in the fourth quarter. The ball is snapped and handed off. Mustangs’ running back Matt Brennan charges forward into the mass of bodies fighting in the trenches only to have the ball knocked out of his arms.

Senior linebacker Tyson Butler spots the ball rolling on the ground and picks it up, seeing his opportunity to make a play for his team. Not the most graceful or fastest runner to enter Hornet Stadium, Butler carried the ball for a 79-yard return.

As Brennan tackled Butler on the opposing 17-yard line, he was spun around and caught a glimpse of the 8,000 plus crowd in attendance on their feet.

Butler rises off the ground to see the Hornets’ fans cheering for one of the biggest plays in the team’s first home game of the season.

“It was a great play and all, but I think the funniest thing was just being able to turn around and see the home stands near capacity with a bunch of friends and family and seeing everybody cheering,” Butler said.

As this season comes to a close, Butler will say his last goodbyes to a Hornet team which he has tried to help rebuild the reputation and credibility of as a winning program.

A 2003 graduate of Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland, Butler said he was drawn to Sacramento State after high school because of the “allure” the campus had in restoring the team to past glory and making the football program his own.

With a football team that had its share of criticism, Butler wanted the chance to put his stamp on it as being one of the guys who turned the program around.

Butler had to hear the never-ending criticism of the team throughout his entire football career, but he believed enough in the coaching staff and his teammates to not listen to it.

“Believe me it was hard, it was hard not to give in sometimes, but at the same time I came here for a reason. I came here to help turn this program around and help put Sac State back on the map again,” Butler said.

Butler arrived at Sac State as the same time as coach Steve Mooshagian and it was clear there were problems that needed to be addressed on and off the field.

As a freshman, there were many athletes on the team, but with players out there only for themselves, being able to come together as a team was one of the team’s biggest problems, Butler said. He was called upon by the coaching staff early to be a vocal leader and to show his teammates the work ethic of a Hornet football player.

It’s unusual to come in as a freshman and be called upon as a leader and be held accountable for the team, Butler recalled, but it was a unique situation where it was a time to rebuild and a call for guys to step up and take control of the team.

“There were no leaders. We had guys on the team that have been here before and had their playing experience, but we didn’t have the guys that would take control and lead the team (the way) it needed to be led,” Butler said.

Compared to the team Butler first joined to the team now, he could tell there was a lot comradery even before they stepped onto the field. Over the past season, Butler enjoyed seeing the younger guys grow as players.

Before the season started, Butler said there was more of an effort made in arranging team barbeques and hanging out in their down time. It was important for everyone to come out and meet each other to be teammates.

“I could tell that this team would be different. I could tell this team wasn’t a bunch of individuals. It was a bunch of guys that really cared about each other and that really wanted to accomplish things this year,” Butler said.

Sophomore linebacker Cyrus Mulitalo played behind Butler last season and contributes a lot of his success to Butler. Taking on a mentor role to Mulitalo, Butler wanted to give Mulitalo the leadership and guidance that wasn’t offered to him when he first came to Sac State.

“(Butler) has put me under his wing since I first got here. He was the first person I knew when I came up here and showed me the ropes and basically helped me since I came here,” Mulitalo said.

After the season ends, Butler still plan to continue his workout routine and take advantage of the NFL scouts visiting the campus, but firefighting is a profession that he says fits his personality and attitude the best.

Butler has volunteered on regular basis at the Sacramento soup kitchen Loaves and Fishes and as member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, he has helped organize toy and can food drives, get-togethers for student athletes, and visits to Shriners Hospital, an orthopedic and burn care center for children.

“It’s just always been something that I was interested in and felt I was good at and that was my calling to help people less fortunate than me and give life to those that felt they didn’t have life anymore,” Butler said.

Kelly Novak, a member of the Sac State women’s soccer team, has worked with Butler on the committee and has known him since their dorm living days as freshmen.

Butler has always been a hit at the Shriners Hospital, Novak said, and a moment that she remembers vividly was when they visited the hospital during the semester and Butler connected with one of the young boys admitted for treatment.

“It almost made me want to cry seeing him taking photos with the boy’s family and just being Tyson,” Novak said. “He’s outgoing and hard working. He’s an all-around good person.”

One of the proudest moments for Butler was when he was asked to speak at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Broad Athletic Facility. For him, it showed that his hard work paid off and that people were recognizing that he really cared about the university.

Butler will step onto Toomey Field this Saturday for the last time in the green and gold for the 53rd annual Causeway Classic. He enters with a career total of 194 tackles, making him ninth in school history for career tackles.

Butler has inspired his teammates on and off the field through his leadership skills and his play making ability. His presence will be missed, but will live on through the example he has set for Hornet football.

“You need to be passionate about everything you do in order to succeed in life and I hope (my teammates) carry that on, but no matter what I’ll be proud of them,” Butler said.