Sept 29, 2001
Box Score?|?Quotes?|?Notes?|?Photo Gallery
By STEVE BAILEY
AP Sports Writer
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Eli Manning threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns asMississippi held off Kentucky 42-31 Saturday.
Manning completed 19 of 36 passes, including 26- and 5-yard scores, as theRebels (2-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) beat Kentucky for the fifth time inthe last six meetings.
Chris Collins had seven receptions for 119 yards, including a 26-yardtouchdown catch, and scored on a 38-yard reverse. Toward Sanford scored onthree 1-yard runs as Mississippi racked up 497 yards of offense.
Artose Pinner rushed 17 times for a career-high 130 yards and scored twiceto lead the Wildcats (1-3, 0-2), who lost their 11th consecutive conferencegame dating to the 1999 season.
Backup quarterback Jared Lorenzen entered the game late in the third quarterand led Kentucky on two scoring drives to pull the Wildcats to 35-31 with 7:39to play.
But Manning drove the Rebels 74 yards on Mississippi’s ensuing possession,and Sanford scored his third touchdown with 4:06 remaining to end the threat.
Joe Gunn rushed 13 times for 113 yards to become the fifth player inMississippi history to rush for 2,000 yards in a career.
Kentucky starter Shane Boyd finished 7-of-21 passing for 72 yards and rushedfor two touchdowns. Lorenzen was 5-of-13 for 32 yards.
The Rebels scored on their first three possessions, which included Manning’stwo TD passes.
Kentucky answered on two of its first three possessions as Boyd scored on20- and 1-yard runs to pull to 21-14 at halftime.
Each team wasted little time finding the end zone in the second half.
On Mississippi’s first possession, Gunn had runs of 17, 36 and 24 yards tothe Kentucky 1 before Sanford punched it in to put the Rebels up 28-14.
On the next play, Pinner took a handoff up the middle and scampered 66 yardsto the end zone untouched to cut the margin to 28-21 with 13:06 to play in thethird quarter.
Down 35-21, Lorenzen replaced Boyd and, on his second possession, led theWildcats to the end zone.
Following Derek Abney’s 42-yard punt return to the Mississippi 22, Pinnerscored from a yard out to pull Kentucky to 35-28 with 12:18 left in the game.
Hanson’s 31-yard field goal cut it to 35-31 with 7:39 remaining, but theWildcats would get no closer.
