Notebook: Tide makes SI cover again

The Sept. 8 issue of the magazine, which hits newsstands today, features a cover photo of Alabama running back Glen Coffee with the headline "SEC Beware: Alabama Sends an Early Message." Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban was featured on the cover of Forbes magazine last month.

The SI cover is the third in four years, with Saban featured on the cover of the 2007 college football preview issue last August and former quarterback Brodie Croyle earning the cover shot in 2005.

Coffee rushed for 90 yards as part of a 239-yard rushing output for the Tide against Clemson. Fellow running back Roy Upchurch said he's not worried about his backfield mate getting the big head.

"I know he’s excited about it," Upchurch said Tuesday. "A lot of people don’t get the chance to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated. I’m happy for him. More power to him."

Next week's SI cover story, written by Austin Murphy, is already available on si.com.

• Despite the added national attention following the Clemson win, kicker Leigh Tiffin said the week's first two practices have been business as usual.

The Crimson Tide worked in full pads on Tuesday, beginning game plan installation for Saturday's home-opener against Tulane. Tiffin said the Crimson Tide, which moved up to No. 13 in the Associated Press national rankings on Tuesday, needs to maintain the same focus this week with which it entered the season.

"I hope everybody's keeping their head down and working just as hard as we did going into the Clemson game, and realizes anybody that we play can beat us and we can beat anybody," Tiffin said. "If we approach it like that, take it one game at a time, everything will take care of itself."

Tiffin said the reason for such a mindset is obvious, given the stunning loss to Louisiana-Monroe last season. That loss came shortly after the Crimson Tide's biggest victory, a 41-17 thrashing of Tennessee.

"We don't want any ULM-type situations to come up this year," Tiffin said.

• Speaking of Tiffin, he said he would have been cleared by Saban to attempt up to a 57-yarder against Clemson on Saturday, when he hit on three of four kicks, including a career-best 54-yarder. The game was Tiffin's first-ever in a domed stadium, which are considered optimum environs for a kicker.

 "I think it knocks a couple of yards off my kicks, kicking off that kind of (artificial) turf, because you can't get the same push you get off of grass," Tiffin said. "But the nice thing about it is, as the game goes along, it doesn't get torn up, like grass does. But there's no wind, which is nice."

Tiffin also narrowly missed on a 52-yarder, which he said he felt he hit better than the 54-yarder. The longer kick was no thing of beauty, but got just over the crossbar to give Alabama a 3-0 lead.

"I didn't hit it great, but I hit it good enough to make it," Tiffin said. "Any time you hit a kick that long, you can't be too upset."

Tiffin's 54-yarder was the third in his career of more than 50 yards, and the second-longest in school history kicked without use of a block field goal tee. Tiffin's father, Van, kicked a school-record 57-yarder in 1985 off a tee, a practice banned by the NCAA in 1991.

• Tulane continued its preparation for Alabama on Tuesday at Samford University in Birmingham, the Green Wave's home since the team evacuated New Orleans in advance of Hurricane Gustav late last week.

Tulane athletic director Rick Dickson and football coach Bob Toledo held a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, during which they outlined how the team settled on Birmingham for its re-location. Dickson said the team planned to stay in Birmingham for the Alabama game all along, and he put in calls to both Samford and UAB in hopes of using either school's facilities.

“UAB was preparing to host a home game with Tulsa," Dickson said. "Both universities were willing to accommodate, but we realized the proximity of Samford to our hotel, and once we got some people here on the ground, it seemed like the best up for us to go with the Samford option.”

Tulane did not play last week, meaning its game with Alabama on Saturday will be the Green Wave's season-opener.