Nick Saban and Alabama football smoked MTSU 56-7 on Saturday in the Crimson Tide’s season opener at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Jalen Milroe earned the start at quarterback and led the way for Alabama, accounting for five total touchdowns, three via air and two on the ground.

After the win over the Blue Raiders, the Crimson Tide’s focus will turn to next week’s matchup against Texas in Tuscaloosa. With the win in the books, Saban is set to address media during his postgame press conference.

Here are the highlights from

— Saban opens saying his players delivered with good energy to start the game. Notes some “shoddy areas” to clean up but praises Bryant-Denny atmosphere and his team’s overall performance. Says team did good running and passing.

— Saban says wide receivers did good job getting open. Says they’ll need to separate against different caliber of player in the future. Says group has improved as far as depth and confidence go.

— Saban says he isn’t going to reveal why Ja’Corey Brooks was sitting out the first half.

— Saban says offensive line play was good, but MTSU makes it hard to judge that area. Says Crimson Tide will play some good front sevens.

— Saban praises Jalen Milroe. Says quarterback had good fall camp and did well tonight. He noted Milroe turning a bad snap into a touchdown run on Alabama’s first drive of the game. Says he expects Milroe will continue to look even better with more experience.

— Says Alabama did a good job eliminating penalties. Says that’s one of Alabama’s goals for the 2023 season after the Crimson Tide struggled in that area throughout 2022. Says there will always be some penalties, but the pre-snap penalties and mental lapses can seriously hurt the team.

— Saban says he won’t speculate on how Milroe will play next week. Holds up bottle on his podium “This is a Coke bottle, not a crystal ball.”

— Says tight ends did well. Believes this year’s Crimson Tide tight ends are better than in years past. Says it will help with running ball on perimeter when tight ends can help with blocking.

More: 3 takeaways from Alabama football’s season-opening win over Middle Tennessee State