Tiffin topples Tennessee by 2

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Who would have figured?

Tiffin 12, Tennessee 10.

Alabama senior place-kicker Leigh Tiffin made all four field-goal attempts Saturday afternoon at Bryant-Denny Stadium, and the top-ranked Crimson Tide needed every one of them. He made kicks from 38, 50 and 22 yards in the first half, and his 49-yarder with 6:31 remaining proved to be the difference.

"They weren't strong kicks, obviously, but I felt like I had enough of my foot on them," Tiffin said. "I feel like I've had the same level of confidence I've had all year. I've been kicking well. When you make a long kick, it just seems to make the rest of your kicks easier."

Tiffin now has 337 career points, which is only eight shy of the school-record 345 Phillip Doyle amassed from 1987 to '90. Michael Proctor tallied 326 points from 1992 to '95 but dropped into third on the career charts after Tiffin's first attempt Saturday.

The 6-foot-1, 212-pounder from Muscle Shoals, Ala., now has five career makes from 50 yards or longer, one shy of the school mark held by his father, Van Tiffin, who kicked from 1983 to '86.

"He did a nice job kicking off for us today in distance and direction, so he did a fantastic job," coach Nick Saban said. "He made four field goals with a little bit of wind out there, and it's pretty much a cross wind in our stadium. He pretty much negotiated both of those and did a great job."

When asked about kicking over Terrence Cody and Marcell Dareus in practice, Tiffin said, "I'm glad I don't have to go up against them in games. When they time it up just right, I don't know who can make one on those guys."

Arenas returns

Javier Arenas missed last week's 20-6 win over South Carolina with a rib injury, which snapped a 42-game streak of games played. The senior cornerback made a monster comeback Saturday, leading the Crimson Tide with 14 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss, and he had a 12-yard sack of Jonathan Crompton.

His special-teams play again was stellar, as he returned two punts for 33 yards.

"It's something I wasn't focusing on," Arenas said of his injury. "I was just focusing on each play, and pain wasn't a factor. I wasn't thinking about it."

Praising Crompton

Tennessee's 318 total yards are the most allowed by Alabama this season, and Crompton was responsible for most. The Vols' senior quarterback completed 21 of 37 passes for 265 yards with one touchdown and an interception.

His 11-yard score to Gerald Jones with 1:19 remaining ended Alabama's streak of not allowing a touchdown at 11 quarters.

"I never thought he was a bad quarterback," Arenas said. "He made some plays out there, and you expect that from a starting quarterback at Tennessee. You certainly don't think down on him."

Tide tidbits

Alabama increased its series edge over Tennessee to 47-38-7 and has won three straight against the Vols for the first time since winning seven in a row from 1986 to '92. ... Saban said starting tight end Colin Peek sprained his MCL during pregame warmups and tried to play before leaving the game early in the first quarter. ... Sophomore receiver Julio Jones had seven catches for 72 yards, with his seven receptions matching a career high set last season against LSU and Utah. ... The Crimson Tide have started 8-0 for a second consecutive year, the first time that's happened since 1973-74. ... Mark Barron's interception of Crompton with 4:46 left in the first quarter gave the sophomore strong safety four this season, which led the SEC heading into Saturday night's action. ... Alabama ran six plays from scrimmage in the third quarter and netted 14 yards.