Nick Saban’s news conference after Saturday’s 62-10 pummelling of New Mexico State inside Bryant-Denny Stadium started like all the others.
The Alabama football coach made an opening statement that lasted a couple of minutes and then took questions.
“It was a good win for our team,” Saban said. “I think we challenged our players to go out and see if we could be a dominant team in every facet of the game. We played a lot of players, and it was a good performance.”
Alabama was a 55-point favorite and built a 62-7 lead through three quarters, when the second-ranked Crimson Tide had amassed 595 total yards to just 166 by the Aggies. The Tide reserves could not continue the dominance, managing just 8 yards in the fourth quarter while allowing 96.
Saban discussed the fact Alabama had to play without top centers Chris Owens and Emil Ekiyor due to injuries and was navigating the questions without incident until he was asked whether the level of competition New Mexico State provided could ready his team for its Southeastern Conference schedule. Alabama (2-0) opens SEC play Saturday at South Carolina (1-1).