Western Kentucky vs. Alabama: Score and Twitter Reaction

On a day that featured near-upsets for some teams ranked in the Top 10, the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide cruised to a 38-10 win over the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. 

The Crimson Tide entered Saturday as 24-point favorites, per Odds Shark. Coming off a dominant 52-6 win against the USC Trojans last week, Alabama followed a similar pattern, getting off to a slow start in the first half before scoring three touchdowns in the second half.

Head coach Nick Saban seemed to make a point of letting freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts throw the ball more often to get him acclimated to college football in a game that didn't figure to pose much of a threat to the Crimson Tide. 

Hurts got off to a fantastic start Saturday, as Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee noted:

He slowed down, though, completing just four of his next nine passes for 35 yards and finishing 22-of-36 for 287 yards and two touchdowns.

Regardless of who is playing quarterback for Alabama, having Calvin Ridley on the outside helps. The star receiver finished with nine catches for 129 yards, nearly surpassing his single-game career high in the first quarter, per Saturday Down South's Chris Wright:

There was a brief injury scare for Ridley, who was examined by the training staff after taking a hard hit on his first-quarter touchdown catch, but Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News noted there didn't appear to be a concussion concern.

Alabama's offense struggled frequently throughout the game, being held in check throughout the first two-and-a-half quarters, per Brad Stephens of the Bowling Green Daily News:

Any hope Western Kentucky had of mounting a comeback ended when Hurts found ArDarius Stewart for an eight-yard touchdown that helped Alabama extend the lead to 24-3 late in the third quarter. 

In what figures to be a common thread for Alabama throughout the season, the defense was dominant in leading the team to victory. After giving up 194 yards against USC last week, the Crimson Tide held Western Kentucky to 239 total yards.

ESPN's Peter Burns found the best analogy to explain how good Alabama's defense has looked through two games:

A win over Western Kentucky won't generate much buzz, but when it's paired next to what Alabama did to USC last week, all of the superlatives that were used to describe Saban's defense before the season started look like an understatement.

Star linebacker Tim Williams made one of the plays of the game, pressuring Western Kentucky quarterback Mike White, wrapping his arms around the signal-caller and suplexing him to the ground as if he were Brock Lesnar. 

MTV's Holly Anderson highlighted the play:

Williams was penalized for roughing the passer, but it was still a tremendous sight to behold. 

The only thing that wasn't working consistently for Alabama was the rushing attack. Damien Harris led the way with 45 yards on 11 carries, but the rest of the team combined for 79 yards on 28 carries.

Next week will be Alabama's first SEC test of the season, a road game against Mississippi. Last year, the Rebels scored 43 points and racked up 433 yards to earn an upset win on the road that served as the lone blemish for the national champion Crimson Tide. 

No one loves a revenge game as much as Saban, who is 18-3 as an SEC coach in matchups against teams that defeated him the previous year or earlier in the same season.

Even though this is a different team in a different year, Saban will have Alabama ready next week.

Post-Game Reaction

Proving that Saban is never satisfied, with Alabama leading 38-10 in the final minute, he began shouting at offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin on the sidelines. 

Saban was asked about that moment after the game, with Hurt tweeting out the perfect response Alabama's head coach had:

Sticking with Saban's near-constant dissatisfaction, he took blame for what, in his opinion, was a lackluster effort by the Crimson Tide in a four-touchdown win, via Hurt:

There isn't one set formula to be a great coach in any sport. You are either able to relate to players as human beings while simultaneously developing their talent is a special skill that few people possess. 

Saban has found the formula that works for him, which includes being angry even after lopsided wins against any team in the country.