Albion set their stall out from the first whistle as Rodger welcomed Shaun Barker into the fray by dumping him into touch between the dugouts.
Rodger was hoping to be on the winning side against Rotherham once more, having been involved in a couple of victories against them with Crystal Palace last season.
Lee was caught narrowly offside from Byfield's pass in an early indication of the understanding between Rotherham's two prolific forwards.
The crowd were pensive as Albion struggled to get into their stride in the initial exchanges, which were scrappy and littered with free-kicks.
An ambitious shot by Brooker from long range bounced straight to Pollitt after Cullip had got his head to a free-kick from Watson.
At the other end Ingimarsson made an important challenge on Byfield as the striker shaped to shoot.
Zamora brought proceedings to life by escaping from Swailes down the left.
Linesman Jarnail Singh signalled the ball had already gone behind when Zamora crossed for Carpenter to find the net with a right foot volley from 16 yards.
There were no protests from the Albion players about the linesman's verdict.
Albion launched a promising counter-attack from a Rotherham corner.
Rodger's raking crossfield pass found Zamora inside the opposing penalty area but, as he controlled the ball on his chest, the covering Warne stepped in to clear the danger.
It was uncompromising stuff, with both sides fighting to gain the upper hand.
Rougier shot timidly on the turn at Pollitt from 15 yards, then Carpenter spurned an opportunity to put more pressure on the Rotherham defence with a free-kick from 30 yards which sailed over the bar.
Rougier had two good chances with headers at Stoke and another fell his way midway through the half.
Brooker's cross from the right found him unmarked towards the near post ten yards out, but his header finished along way wide of the far post.
It had been a desperately dull affair so far for another near capacity crowd, but McIntosh made them raise their voices by clattering into Zamora close to the touchline in front of the north stand.
The Rotherham captain was quite rightly cautioned for the tackle, which emphasised the visitors' determined approach.
Albion began to move forward with a bit more purpose as the half wore on, Rodger firing over from outside the box when Zamora set him up.
The Seagulls' first corner of the contest did not arrive until the 28th minute. Rodger took it and it eventually reached Blackwell beyond the far post, but his angled left foot effort from 12 yards drifted wide of the target.
The blustery conditions, combined with a pitch which was cutting up, made flowing football difficult.
Cullip, such an inspirational skipper this season, led by example again, with telling interceptions on first Byfield and then Lee inside the Albion area.
Albion were being restricted in the main to efforts from distance, another by Carpenter from fully 35 yards flying over the bar.
Albion were gradually grabbing the initiative and Cullip came agonisingly close to giving them the breakthrough ten minutes from the interval.
He met Carpenter's corner with a firm header eight yards out which went inches wide of the upright.
Rotherham were content to defend in depth when they were not in possession and then tried to hit Albion on the break with Byfield's speed and Lee's strength.
Beasant was having a comfortable afternoon, the visitors managing only a shot well over the bar from the combative Woodhouse.
Cullip threatened again from another corner, taken this time by Rodger, with a run to the near post and a header which was blocked in a heavily populated box.
Coppell complained at Stoke that Albion did not get the home keeper dirty enough. The same thing was happening again, with Pollitt largely a spectator.
Watson, seeking his first goal of the season, gave him the most comfortable of saves with a low cross-shot from the right flank.
Albion nearly fell behind out of the blue on 42 minutes.
Woodhouse somehow got power into a left foot drive from 25 yards as he stretched and the diving Beasant parried it for a corner.
Referee Warren had words with rival captains McIntosh and Cullip prior to a Rotherham corner.
McIntosh was pushing his luck, bearing in mind his earlier booking.
The Seagulls had a let off in the closing stages of the half.
Byfield turned past Cullip to cross towards the near post where Carpenter might easily have turned the ball into his own net instead of narrowly wide for a corner.
Half-Time: Albion 0 Rotherham 0.
There was not much sign of the untidy pattern of the contest changing in the early stages of the second half.
A ball into the box by McIntosh was headed back by Lee for Mullin to control, but he screwed his shot well wide.
The diminutive Hurst made an important intervention as Zamora almost lobbed Brooker into space inside the box.
Referee Warren was not interested in appeals by Albion for a penalty for a push by Warne on Brooker.
Lee headed over at the far post from a deep, angled centre by Shaun Barker.
Rotherham's leading marksman was then booked for persistent infringement after a foul on Ingimarsson on the edge of the Albion area.
Lee scored the only goal in controversial circumstances when Albion were beaten at Millmoor in September.
It was the type of game where something unusual was needed to end the suffocating stalemate.
That is exactly what happened as Albion went ahead 11 minutes into the second half.
Rougier, fed by Zamora, had his toe-poke smothered by Pollitt, only for the ball to rebound off the unfortunate Hurst into the net.
It finished a famine for the Seagulls spanning four hours and 21 minutes since Rougier's decisive strike against Millwall.
A scrappy goal for a scrappy game did not matter a jot to Albion.
It is all about points and this stage of the season, not performance.
Mayo had his name taken on 58 minutes for a foul on Lee midway inside Rotherham territory.
Byfield also went into the book just past the hour mark for dissent.
A free-kick from Carpenter from 25 yards was pawed behind by Pollitt when he seemed perfectly positioned to make a catch.
It proved costly as from Carpenter's resulting corner Zamora doubled the advantage.
He was unguarded at the far post to tuck in his fourth goal in six appearances from close range.
Rotherham are a big and strong outfit, yet they were proving surprisingly susceptible from set pieces.
Zamora should have made it 3-0 from another Carpenter corner, flicked on by Cullip but he miskicked on the volley at the far post.
Rotherham responded with a double substitution. Richard Barker replaced Lee upfront and Garner was introduced in midfield for Sedgwick.
Garner made an immediate contribution with a low drive which Beasant saved.
A twisting header by Rougier from Mayo's left wing centre forced Pollitt into a good stop low down by his left hand post.
Swailes collected the visitors' fourth booking for a foul on Rougier, then Brooker flashed a 25 yarder just wide as Albion pocketed three more precious points.
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