Tiffin's stats earn him third-best

OXFORD, Miss. — Leigh Tiffin said he would have preferred kicking five extra points instead, but the Alabama kicker's career-best 5-for-5 field goal performance in Saturday's win against Ole Miss helped him surpass some elite, and familiar, players in Alabama's history.

With his fourth field goal, a 21-yarder that gave the Crimson Tide a 19-3 lead, the Muscle Shoals native surpassed his father, legendary kicker Van Tiffin, in career scoring.

He added a 31-yarder, his longest of the game, for Alabama's final score, giving him a career total of 318 points, third-best in Alabama history behind fellow kickers Phillip Doyle (345) and Michael Proctor (326).

“We don't even talk about it,” Tiffin said about his position relative to his dad's on Alabama's career list. “The older I've gotten and the more I've done this, the less I pay attention to stats. I just do what I can.”

Tiffin also kicked field goals of 25, 21 and 22 yards for Alabama's first three scores and added an extra point for a total of 16 points in the game.

Tiffin, 67-for-92 in his career, surpassed Proctor for second place on Alabama's career field goal list. He is second all-time at Alabama in career field goal attempts.

Julio Jones came into Oxford with only nine catches in four games, but it seemed quarterback Greg McElroy was determined to get the ball to his star receiver Saturday.

Of McElroy's 14 first-quarter passes, seven were intended for Jones.

The quarterback also threw at Jones five times in the end zone while being double-covered. One of those plays resulted in McElroy missing tight end Preston Dial wide open in the middle of the end zone, and Alabama had to settle for its third field goal of the game.

Jones had three catches for 38 yards in the first half, the longest play going for 14 yards. He finished with four catches for 42 yards and had a key block on Mark Ingram's 36-yard touchdown run.

A preseason Heisman Trophy favorite, Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead continued to tumble out of contention for the award Saturday.

The second-year starter threw two interceptions in the first half and two more in the second. He now has more interceptions (seven) than touchdown passes (four) in SEC play this season.

Snead's first pick was hauled in by Alabama's Justin Woodall to end the Rebels' second possession. Then in the second quarter, Snead threw another interception when Javier Arenas took the ball away from receiver Shay Hodge at the Ole Miss 26.

Snead was 11-for-34 for 140 yards, with nine completions and 126 yards coming in the second half.

Ole Miss had 5 yards of offense in the first quarter and didn't get a first down until 3 minutes into the second quarter, marking the first time this season that Alabama's defense didn't allow a first down in a quarter.

The Rebels managed one first down and 19 total yards on 22 first-half plays and didn't cross midfield until 5 minutes into the third quarter.

Alabama stopped Ole Miss' best touchdown opportunity when Kareem Jackson jumped a route for an interception at the Crimson Tide 5-yard line early in the fourth quarter. Jackson returned it for 79 yards to the Ole Miss 16.

Rolando McClain added an interception later in the fourth quarter.

Most of the crowd probably didn't leave happy, but it still set a Vaught-Hemingway Stadium attendance record Saturday.

At 62,657, the announced attendance surpassed the old record of 62,552 set in 2003 during LSU's trip to Oxford.

The number still fell short of the all-time record in the state of Mississippi, set in 1981 when 64,112 attended a game between Mississippi State and Southern Miss in Jackson.

Bryan App can be reached at 740-5730 or bryan.app@TimesDaily.com.