COLUMBIA, Mo. – Since taking over as the University of Alabama’s football coach in 2007, Nick Saban has never lost a season opener.
Then again, he’d never had one like this.
Yet despite an offseason largely scrapped by the coronavirus pandemic and a delayed start to the season, Saban’s second-ranked Crimson Tide looked just fine as they began their 10-game league-only schedule Saturday night in a Southeastern Conference matchup at Missouri.
Mac Jones threw for 249 yards and two scores in less than three quarters of work, and Jaylen Waddle and Najee Harris had dynamic performances on offense, helping Alabama roll to a 38-19 victory over the rebuilding Tigers.
“I think from a team standpoint, when you play a first game, you sort of figure out who you are,” Saban said after finally taking off his mask. “You figure out where you, and the last thing is, ‘What do I have to do to get better?’ Everybody on our team has a lot of maturity in what they need to do to get better.”