Nov. 27, 2009

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UPCHURCH’S FIRST CAREER TD CATCH IS A MEMORABLE ONE

Senior running back Roy Upchurch’s four-yard touchdown catch with 1:24 remaining in the game gave Alabama a 26-21 win over Auburn.  It was the first touchdown reception of Upchurch’s Alabama career, coming in his 37^th game of activity in a Crimson Tide uniform and on his 38^th career reception at Alabama.

Julio Jones PRODUCES IN THE CLUTCH – HAS SINGLE-GAME HIGH FOR CATCHES

Sophomore receiver Julio Jones caught a career-high nine passes for 83 yards today, setting a new personal single-game mark for catches.  After catching three passes for 25 yards in the first half, Jones racked up six receptions for 58 yards in the second half.  Most importantly, Jones made four catches for 33 yards on the game-winning 15-play, 79-yard drive that consumed 7:03 of game time concluding with a touchdown with 1:24 remaining.  On that drive, three of Jones’ catches converted third down plays into first downs.

INGRAM ON ALABAMA’S SINGLE-SEASON RUSHING LIST

Ingram rushed for a season-low 30 yards against Auburn, giving him 1,429 rushing yards this season. With his totals, Ingram has moved closer to first place on the Alabama single-season rushing list (see below).

BARRON NOTCHES 7TH INTERCEPTION

Safety Mark Barron intercepted an Auburn pass with 4:48 left in the third quarter to set up the Alabama offense at the Auburn 43-yard line, his seventh interception of the 2009 season.  That total ranks tied for third on the Alabama single-season interceptions list (see below).

INTERCEPTIONS – SEASON

10        Hootie Ingram (163 yards)................................................................................... 1952

8           Harry Gilmer (79 yards)........................................................................................ 1946

7           Steve Higginbotham (108 yards)...................................................................... 1971

7           Jeremiah Castille (60 yards)................................................................................. 1982

7           Antonio Langham (67 yards)............................................................................... 1993

7           Kevin Jackson (44 yards)....................................................................................... 1996

7           Mark Barron (125 yards).................................................... 2009

ARENAS SETS SEC CAREER PUNT RETURN YARDS MARK; RANKS 2^ND IN NCAA HISTORY

Javier Arenas returned two punts for 67 yards against Auburn (including a 56-yarder in the third quarter) to elevate his career punt return yardage total to 1,725 to break the SEC career punt return yards record previously held by Vanderbilt’s Lee Nalley, who had 1,695 punt return yards from 1947-49.  The NCAA record for career punt return yardage is held by Wes Welker of Texas Tech, who gained 1,751 yards on punt returns from 2000-03.  Arenas now ranks second in NCAA history for punt return yardage:

NCAA PUNT RETURN YARDS LEADERS

TIFFIN SETS SEASON & CAREER MARKS

Senior placekicker Leigh Tiffin set a pair of important Alabama records today.  Tiffin’s 27-yard field goal with 5:32 left in the third quarter gave him 79 career field goals, moving him ahead of Philip Doyle (78 from 1987-90). He added a 31-yard field goal with 24 seconds left in the third quarter, the 80^th of his Alabama career. Already the Alabama career scoring leader, Tiffin has made 27-of-31 field goal attempts this season, breaking his own record of 25 field goals made in 2008 when he made 25 of 34 attempts. With eight kicking points against Auburn, Tiffin has scored 118 points this season via field goals or extra-point conversions, setting a new record for single-season kicking points. A look at how Tiffin stands on several Alabama season and career charts (see below).

PEEK’S TD CATCH IS LONGEST OF ALABAMA CAREER

Senior tight end Colin Peek’s 33-yard touchdown catch with 5:31 left in the second quarter tied the game at 14-14.  It was the longest catch of Peek’s Alabama career, eclipsing a 21-yard reception against Kentucky.  Peek, who played two seasons at Georgia Tech prior to joining the Crimson Tide, had a 37-yard reception for the Yellow Jackets against Army in 2007, the longest catch of his college career.

RICHARDSON SCORES 6^TH RUSHING TD

True freshman running back Trent Richardson scored Alabama’s first points against Auburn on a 2-yard run with 13:26 remaining in the second quarter. The touchdown was Richardson’s sixth this season, a total that ranks second in Alabama history for touchdown runs by a freshman behind Terry Grant’s eight in 2007.

ALABAMA OVERCOMES LARGEST DEFICIT OF 2009 SEASON

Auburn raced to an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter today, the largest deficit faced by Alabama this season, before rallying to tie the game at 14-14 with a big second quarter. Prior to today, the most the Crimson Tide had trailed in a game at any point this season was a five-point deficit against LSU on November 7 in Tuscaloosa.  In that game, LSU took a 15-10 lead with 3:19 left in the third quarter before Alabama regained the lead at 21-15 on a 73-yard pass from Greg McElroy to Julio Jones with 10:24 left in the fourth period of an eventual 24-15 Crimson Tide victory.

LONGEST RUSH ALLOWED SINCE 2005 IS LONGEST TD YIELDED IN SABAN ERA

The 67-yard touchdown run on a reverse play by Auburn receiver Terrell Zachery in the first quarter is the longest run allowed by the Alabama defense this season and the longest yielded by the Crimson Tide since a 70-yard run by Arkansas’ Darren McFadden on September 24, 2005. Prior to that play, the longest run given up by Alabama this season was a 34-yarder by LSU’s Charles Scott on November 7. Zachery’s touchdown run is the longest allowed by the Crimson Tide defense under head coach Nick Saban, surpassing a 62-yard run by Enrique Davis of Mississippi on October 18, 2008.

LONGEST PASS ALLOWED IN 2009 IS LONGEST YIELDED SINCE 1999

Auburn took a 21-14 lead with 11:05 left in the third quarter on a 72-yard pass from quarterback Chris Todd to receiver Darvin Adams, the longest play from scrimmage allowed by Alabama this season, the longest play from scrimmage allowed in the