Austin Rogers

KNOXVILLE -- Add Austin Rogers to the long list of college athletes applying for a sixth-year of eligibility.

Rogers, a fifth-year senior at the University of Tennessee, tore his ACL in early July and recently started doing light practice drills.

The Nashville-area native said his knee has felt "good" the past few weeks before adding a sobering caveat.

"It's feeling good, but they're only letting me routes against air," Rogers said Tuesday night, in an exclusive interview with The Times Free Press. "I'm not cleared for full contact, full participation or anything like that yet. I'm just coming out here and seeing how it feels running routes and everything."

Rogers -- a 6-foot-2 receiver with 76 career catches for 891 yards and four touchdowns -- said UT has sent a sixth-year appeal to the NCAA, but he hasn't gotten excited about his chances of passing through the organization's notoriously difficult process.

Knowing that, Rogers sped up his ACL recovery in hopes of playing a limited role in UT's bowl game. The Vols would be bowl eligible by beating Vanderbilt on Saturday or winning at Kentucky on Nov. 28.

"It's something you don't usually get word back on until after the (regular) season is over," Rogers said. "We're just waiting it out right now. They're saying they're not sure whether I'm getting it. Worst-case scenario, I won't get it, so I'm trying to get back and ready to play whenever I could if I don't get it.

"A bowl game is possible if it's something I don't get, so I'm just trying to get back out here and see what I can do.

Rogers likened his sixth-year chances to a coin flip.

"They said it's pretty much 50-50 with all those cases," Rogers said. "They never really can tell what the NCAA judges for criteria for a sixth year, so right now, all I can really do is hope they give me that year."

Rogers hopes to run routes alongside brother Zach -- a UT freshman receiver -- at least once before his eligibility expires. The brothers hoped to practice and play together all season, and they'd like another chance next season.

If not, though, Austin Rogers hopes to play at least one college game with Zach, who also grew up a UT fan in Middle Tennessee.

"Yeah, (the sixth-year) is something I want," Austin said. "But like I said, I'm trying not to get my hopes up, because they said it's 50-50. I just don't want to get my hopes up and then not get it. I'd hate for it to be one of those situations. If I get word that I can't get it, maybe I can come back in a bowl game or something like that and make the most of it. I'm just trying to get ready as quickly as possible, in case I don't get it.

"It would be really nice to get out there and play just one game with him and line up together on the field. It's something we thought we'd be able to do all year, but it didn't turn out that way. We'll see. I'm hoping. That's all I can do right now."

OLIVER UPDATE

First-year UT coach Lane Kiffin said he was aware that an incident occurred with freshman defensive back Nyshier Oliver hours before the Nov. 7 game against Memphis.

Oliver was cited for shoplifting at a West Knoxville mall at 1:45 p.m., approximately five hours before the Memphis game.

As a redshirt, Oliver didn't stay in the team's downtown Knoxville hotel the night before the game and had more free time than most teammates on gameday.

Three UT freshmen were arrested and charged with attempted armed robbery Thursday, and Kiffin referenced that problem later in the day as the team's first "incident" since his December arrival.

Kiffin said the Vols made it 11 months and 11 days without an incident, but Oliver's citation came 11 months and six days after the coach's arrival.

"(Oliver) was not arrested, and we dealt with it internally," Kiffin said Wednesday night.

Kiffin said he didn't see any reason to suspend a player who was redshirting. Oliver, who changed from UT to Notre Dame back to the Vols during the recruiting process, didn't dress against the Tigers.

"That was not a discipline reason; he doesn't play, anyway," Kiffin said. "Somebody's punishment would not be as he's redshirting to miss a game. We dealt with it internally."

THIS AND THAT

All-America safety Eric Berry said he didn't know whether Saturday would be his last home game as a Vol. The junior is rated by most experts as one of the draft's top overall prospects, and both his parents lost their jobs during the nation's tough economic times. ... Junior defensive back Dennis Rogan (leg) and junior strongside linebacker LaMarcus Thompson (neck/shoulder stinger) didn't practice Wednesday, and Kiffin guessed that both would be game-time decisions against Vanderbilt. ... Kiffin said junior Daniel Lincoln (quad) has kicked well in practice this week, but the coach said he'll have to pass a more thorough pregame inspection before kicking against the Commodores. Lincoln has had three kicks blocked while playing through the pain.

Other contacts for Wes Rucker are www.twitter.com/wesrucker and www.facebook.com/tfpvolsbeat.