Postgame Notes
1/2/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
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ARENAS GOES THE DISTANCE
Javier Arenas returned a Utah punt 73 yards for a touchdown with 5:28 left in the second quarter to narrow the Utah lead over Alabama to 21-10. That return is Arenas' sixth punt return for a touchdown in his Alabama career, extending his own school record. The junior also owns four of the 11 longest punt returns in Alabama history. It also is the fourth-longest by an Alabama player in a bowl game.
| Arenas' Career Punt Return Touchdowns | |
| 65 | Florida International (Oct. 28, 2006) |
| 86 | Oklahoma State (Independence Bowl) (Dec. 28, 2006) |
| 61 | LSU (Nov. 3, 2007) |
| 87 | Tulane (Sept. 6, 2008) |
| 80 | Mississippi State (Nov. 15, 2008) |
| 73 | Utah (Sugar Bowl) (Jan. 2, 2009) |
JONES ECLIPSES 900 YARDS IN RECEIVING YARDAGE
Freshman receiver Julio Jones, who entered the Sugar Bowl game ranked 4th in Alabama history for receiving yards in a season with 847, caught 7 passes for 77 yards to finish the 2008 season with 58 receptions for 924 yards. Those totals shattered the previous Alabama freshman records, and placed fourth in receiving yards and fifth in receptions for a season.
| RECEIVING YARDS - SEASON | ||
| Yards | Player (catches) | Year |
| 1,056 | DJ Hall (62 catches) | 2006 |
| 1,005 | DJ Hall (67 catches) | 2007 |
| 1,000 | David Palmer (61 catches) | 1993 |
| 924 | Julio Jones (55 catches) | 2008 |
| 820 | Dennis Homan (54 catches) | 1967 |
| 804 | Ozzie Newsome (36 catches) | 1977 |
| 790 | David Bailey (55 catches) | 1970 |
| 781 | David Bailey (56 catches) | 1969 |
| 756 | Al Lary (35 catches) | 1950 |
| 733 | Freddie Milons (65 catches) | 1999 |
| RECEPTIONS - SEASON | ||
| Rec. | Player (Yards) | Year |
| 67 | DJ Hall (1,005 yards) | 2007 |
| 65 | Freddie Milons (733 yards) | 1999 |
| 62 | DJ Hall (1,056 yards) | 2006 |
| 61 | David Palmer (1,000 yards) | 1993 |
| 58 | Julio Jones (905 yards) | 2008 |
| 56 | David Bailey (781 yards) | 1969 |
| 55 | David Bailey (790 yards) | 1970 |
| 54 | Dennis Homan (820 yards) | 1967 |
| 51 | Lamonde Russell (622 yards) | 1989 |
| 48 | Kevin Turner (465 yards) | 1989 |
| 48 | Quincy Jackson (621 yards) | 1998 |
| 48 | DJ Hall (676 yards) | 2005 |
TIFFIN MAKES 53rd FIELD GOAL OF CAREER; 20th of SEASON
With a 52-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter, placekicker Leigh Tiffin made 20 field goals this season (in 29 attempts) and has made 53 field goals in his Alabama career. His 20 field goals this season moves him into fourth on the Alabama single-season field goals made list. He holds the single-season record with 25 set in 2007. Tiffin's 53 career field goals ranks him fourth in Alabama history behind Philip Doyle (78 from 1987-90), Michael Proctor (65 from 1992-95), and Van Tiffin (59 from 1983-86). With a make and two misses against Utah, Tiffin was 7-9 on field goals in domes this season, including 2-3 from beyond 50 yards. (54 vs. Clemson, 52 vs. Utah).
| FIELD GOALS MADE - SEASON | ||
| FGM | Player (Attempts) | Year |
| 25 | Leigh Tiffin (34 att.) | 2007 |
| 24 | Philip Doyle (29 att.) | 1990 |
| 22 | Philip Doyle (25 att.) | 1989 |
| 22 | Michael Proctor (29 att.) | 1993 |
| 20 | Leigh Tiffin (29 att.) | 2008 |
| 19 | Philip Doyle (31 att.) | 1988 |
| 19 | Michael Proctor (27 att.) | 1992 |
| 17 | Van Tiffin (26 att.) | 1985 |
McCALL & WALKER PLAY 52nd CAREER GAME
A pair of Alabama seniors played their 52nd career game when the Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl clash with Utah, moving into a tie for the most games played in school history. Tight ends Travis McCall and Nick Walker played in their 52nd game for Alabama against Utah, tying former fullback Tarrant Lynch (1990-94) for the most games played in a Crimson Tide uniform. Defensive end Bobby Greenwood played in his 51st game for the Crimson Tide on Friday night. Former offensive lineman Matt Hammond (1990-93) and linebacker Lemanski Hall (1990-93) are tied with Greenwood on the list with 51 games played. Safety Rashad Johnson played in his 50th career game against Utah, as well.
| ALL-TIME GAMES PLAYED | ||
| Rank | Player (Years) | Games |
| 1. | Tarrant Lynch (1990-94) | 52 |
| Travis McCall (2005-08) | 52 | |
| Nick Walker (2005-08) | 52 | |
| 4. | Matt Hammond (1990-93) | 51 |
| Lemanski Hall (1990-93) | 51 | |
| Bobby Greenwood (2005-08) | 51 | |
| 7. | Anthony Bryant (2001-04) | 50 |
| Evan Mathis (2001-04) | 50 | |
| Mark Anderson (2002-05) | 50 | |
| Anthony Madison (2002-05) | 50 | |
| Freddie Roach (2002-05) | 50 | |
| DeMeco Ryans (2002-05) | 50 | |
| Ramzee Robinson (2003-06) | 50 | |
| Matt Caddell (2004-07) | 50 | |
| Wallace Gilberry (2004-07) | 50 | |
| Rashad Johnson (2005-08) | 50 | |
COFFEE MOVES UP SINGLE-SEASON RUSHING CHARTbr /> With 39 yards rushing against Utah, Glen Coffee moved into second place on the Alabama single-season rushing list with 1,386 yards. Coffee entered the Sugar Bowl with 1,347 yards rushing this season, and was in fourth place on the Alabama single-season rushing yardage list.
| RUSHING YARDS - SEASON | ||
| Yards | Player | Year |
| 1,471 | Bobby Humphrey | 1986 |
| 1,386 | Glen Coffee | 2008 |
| 1,383 | Shaun Alexander | 1999 |
| 1,367 | Shaud Williams | 2003 |
| 1,341 | Sherman Williams | 1994 |
| 1,255 | Bobby Humphrey | 1987 |
| 1,242 | Kenneth Darby | 2005 |
ALABAMA'S BOWL RECORD
With the loss to Utah, Alabama has posted a 31-22-3 (.580) all-time record in 56 bowl appearances. Alabama owns the NCAA record for most bowl games (56) and most victories (31). Alabama has played in 16 different bowl games in its storied history and was making its 13th appearance at the Sugar Bowl on Friday night, more than any other bowl in school history. Alabama has played bowl games in eight different states, including Arizona, California, Florida, Hawai'i, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas. Alabama has played bowl games in 19 different stadiums.
| NCAA ALL-TIME BOWL APPEARANCES | ||
| Rank | Team | Appearances |
| 1. | ALABAMA | 56 |
| 2. | Tennessee | 47 |
| Texas | 48 | |
| 4. | Southern California | 47 |
| 5. | Georgia | 45 |
| Nebraska | 45 | |
| NCAA ALL-TIME BOWL VICTORIES | ||
| Rank | Team | Wins |
| 1. | ALABAMA | 31 |
| 2. | Southern California | 29 |
| 3. | Penn State | 26 |
| 4. | Tennessee | 25 |
| 5. | Georgia | 24 |
| Oklahoma | 24 | |
| Texas | 24 | |
ALABAMA IN DOMED STADIUMS
Alabama is 9-5-1 (.600) all-time in domed stadiums. Alabama played three games of the 2008 season in a domed stadium after opening the year with Clemson in the Georgia Dome at the 2008 Chick-Fil-A College Kickoff and then returning to the Georgia Dome for the SEC Championship Game. At the Louisiana Superdome, Alabama is 6-2 (.750), including a 5-2 (.714) mark in Sugar Bowl games. Alabama beat Penn State, 13-6, in the first Sugar Bowl game played in the Superdome on Dec. 31, 1975. The Tide also beat Tulane, 37-0, in the Superdome during the 1992 regular season. The Crimson Tide is 1-3 in SEC Championship Games played in the Georgia Dome and 2-3 at the Georgia Dome overall.
| ALABAMA IN DOMED STADIUMS | ||
| Date | Result | Stadium |
| Oct. 24, 1970 | Alabama 30, Houston 21 | Astrodome |
| Dec. 31, 1970 | Alabama 24, Oklahoma 24 | Astrodome (Bluebonnet Bowl) |
| Dec. 31, 1975 | Alabama 13, Penn State 6 | Superdome (Sugar Bowl) |
| Jan, 2, 1978 | Alabama 35, Ohio State 6 | Superdome (Sugar Bowl) |
| Jan, 1, 1979 | Alabama 14, Penn State 7 | Superdome (Sugar Bowl) |
| Jan. 1, 1980 | Alabama 24, Arkansas 9 | Superdome (Sugar Bowl) |
| Jan. 1, 1990 | Miami 33, Alabama 25 | Superdome (Sugar Bowl) |
| Oct. 10, 1992 | Alabama 37, Tulane 0 | Superdome |
| Jan. 2, 1993 | Alabama 34, Miami 14 | Superdome (Sugar Bowl) |
| Dec. 3, 1994 | Florida 24, Alabama 23 | Georgia Dome (SEC Championship) |
| Dec. 7, 1996 | Florida 45, Alabama 30 | Georgia Dome (SEC Championship) |
| Dec. 5, 1999 | Alabama 34, Florida 7 | Georgia Dome (SEC Championship) |
| Aug. 30, 2008 | Alabama 34, Clemson 10 | Georgia Dome |
| Dec. 6, 2008 | Florida 31, Alabama 20 | Georgia Dome |
| Jan. 2, 2009 | Utah 31, Alabama 17 | Superdome (Sugar Bowl) |
