Rogers keeps Tigers pinned deep

By By Austin Bishop / EMG Regional Sports Director
Sept. 8, 2002
OXFORD While the Rebels had their share of field goal troubles in Saturday's 38-16 win over the University of Memphis on Saturday, former Lamar School standout Lee Rogers made sure those troubles didn't carry over to the kick off team.
Four of his seven kicks were touchbacks, with two being hammered out of the endzone. Last year he recorded 20 touchbacks.
Field position was a key for Ole Miss throughout the game, with Rogers doing his part to keep Memphis pinned in deep.
He did, she did,
they will
Saturday was certainly a special day for sophomore fullback Rick Razanno. During the game, he scored on a two-yard run in the third quarter to earn his first collegiate touchdown.
But that wasn't his best move of the day.
During the team's traditional pregame walk through The Grove, Razanno surprised his girlfriend by asking her to marry him.
Well, really she did.
She said yes.
Good Eyes Ref
At first look, it appeared that Memphis receiver Antoine Harden had stepped out of bounds around the 12-yard line in the first quarter against the Rebels.
But when the instant replay was shown, it appeared that he kept his feet in bounds on the way to a 50-yard touchdown that gave the Tigers the quick lead in the game.
Maybe not so good
On Ole Miss' first possession of the second half, it looked as though Sophomore wide receiver Kerry Johnson had made a nice catch for a 19-yard touchdown.
He reached up and caught the ball just across the goal line and was hit as one foot came down. He was hit by another Tiger and after he fell to the ground, the ball came out.
Two officials on the scene ruled the pass incomplete. On the next play, Ole Miss missed its third field goal attempt of the day.
Gator arms
An apparent touchdown pass slipped through Chris Collins' hands at the goal line with 13:19 to go in the half.
On the second-and-12 play at the 20-yard line, Eli Manning appeared to have led him perfectly, but Collins didn't fully extend his arms and the ball slipped off his finger tips.
The miss turned out to be crucial, when two plays later Johnathan Nichols missed a 37-yard field goal attempt wide right.
Turned Away
One play after the missed field goal it appeared as if the Rebels would have a good chance to tie the game up.
Ole Miss junior linebacker Jamil Northcutt picked off a Danny Wimprine pass at the Memphis 25 and returned it 19 yards to the six.
However, three plays only produced four yards, forcing the Rebels to settle for a 19-yard field goal by Nichols with 11:25 left, cutting the Memphis lead to 7-3.
On the third-and-goal play, the Rebels looked to be attempting a fade pattern to the left corner of the endzone, but Manning threw a line drive that gave the receiver no chance.
Three-point woes
While the Rebels were struggling for offensive production early in the game, the kicking game certainly wasn't helping.
After Ole Miss finally moved the ball for a pair of first downs and into Memphis territory at the 21-yard line, Nichols hit a knuckleball that sailed wide left from 39 yards out.
Then in the third quarter, on Ole Miss' first possession, the Rebels drove down to the 19-yard line, only to have Nichols miss from 36 yards out.
When the refs under the uprights waved off the kick as no good, Nichols appeared to stare toward the end zone with his mouth open in disbelief.
Good time out
With just over 40 seconds to play in the first and and Ole Miss facing a first-and-goal from the 10-yard line, Manning didn't like what he saw out of the Memphis defense and called time out.
It turned out to be a wise decision.
After talking things over with his coaches, Manning responded by hitting Collins with a scoring pass in the left corner of the end zone.
Manning rolled to his left, pumped twice, and then on the move hit Collins who was standing still and uncovered for the touchdown to give Ole Miss a 17-7 halftime lead.
No record today
While the 54, 718 fans that filed into Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday was one of the biggest crowds in school history, it was not a record.
That came last week, when 58,151 showed up to watch the Rebels beat Monroe 31-3.
Mississippi boy
does good
Some Ole Miss fans may have recognized the name of the Memphis place-kicker when he came on the field to kick the Tiger's extra point following their first-quarter touchdown. He added a 30-yard field goal late in the game.
Steven Gostkowski, who is on a baseball scholarship at Memphis, played his high school ball at Madison Central. The true freshman won the kicking job in the fall and booted a 50-yard field goal in Memphis' 52-6 season-opening win over Murray State. He also hit on 5-of-6 extra point attempts in the game.