There was a not-too-distant adage in Southeastern Conference football that the only team that could beat Alabama was Alabama.
That thought has been tweaked a bit this season, because now league teams are facing the Crimson Tide simply hoping to stay competitive.
Alabama has never been more dominant in the early stages of SEC play after blistering Vanderbilt and Ole Miss the past two weeks by the combined count of 125-3. Next up for Nick Saban's 5-0 and top-ranked team is Saturday night's game at Texas A&M.
"This is certainly not the time to relax or be satisfied," Saban said Monday in his weekly news conference. "We need to focus on things that we can improve. Regardless of the score, there are always things you can learn from and improve from.
"This is another division game against a good team."
Saban touted the undefeated Commodores two weeks ago before Alabama rolled to a 59-0 win in Nashville. He reminded everyone on multiple occasions last week about losses to Ole Miss in 2014 and 2015 before his Tide went out Saturday night inside Bryant-Denny Stadium and ravaged the Rebels 66-3.
On Monday, it was Texas A&M's turn to receive his praise.
"This is by far the strongest team we've played to this point all the way around," Saban said.
The Aggies are 4-1, having opened with a crushing 45-44 loss at UCLA after leading 44-10 late in the third quarter. Texas A&M's victories since have been far from dominant, with the Aggies disposing of Nicholls (24-14), Louisiana-Lafayette (45-21), Arkansas (50-43 in overtime) and South Carolina (24-17).
Saban believes Texas A&M's opening loss, which was followed by an unsigned, racially insensitive letter sent to coach Kevin Sumlin's home, may have been galvanizing.
"People sometimes respond better when bad things happen," he said. "It shouldn't be that way, but sometimes it is, and they've certainly responded and played really well. They played well in that game to get in the position they were in."
Texas A&M is roughly two hours from the Houston suburb of Channelview, which is the home of Alabama sophomore quarterback Jalen Hurts, who considered the Aggies and Mississippi State before signing with the Tide. Hurts has helped guide Alabama's offense to 508.6 yards and 46.2 yards per game, with each of those averages leading the league.
Asked Monday by reporters how he expects Alabama to handle the unexpected slaughters of the past two Saturdays, Hurts said, "We just have the mindset to be 1-0 every week. It's a new week with the same goal."
Hand out Saturday
Alabama senior defensive lineman Da'Shawn Hand will miss Saturday's game after suffering an MCL strain against Ole Miss. Hand sustained the injury on a cut block, which is something Saban would love to remove from the sport.
"It was legal. A guy cut him," Saban said. "I've been an advocate of that for a long time, but you're allowed to cut and it was a legal block. Until somebody changes the rules, there is nothing illegal about it."
Saban said Hand could be out for next week's game against Arkansas as well.
Tide tidbits
Sophomore receiver Trevon Diggs is questionable for Saturday's game with a foot injury. ... Saban said senior punter JK Scott, depending on the conditions, could attempt field goals up to the 52-55-yard range. ... Sophomore left tackle Jonah Williams graded out at 87 percent with three knockdown blocks against the Rebels. ... CBS is using a six-day option, so Alabama's game next week against visiting Arkansas will either be on CBS or at night on an ESPN network.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.