TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — “Just let them run. Just let them play,” was the analogy that University of Alabama coach Nick Saban used this past week, trying to get the Crimson Tide to tap into its emotions a little more.

Wow, were his players listening.

Inspired as if they had been watching nothing but Johnny Manziel highlights from the game here at Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2012, Alabama played like it was having a blast Saturday afternoon. With the offense scoring every time it had the ball during the first half the No. 7 Crimson Tide absolutely crushed the Aggies 59-0.

Senior quarterback Blake Sims completed 16 of 27 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns, and junior wide receiver Amari Cooper caught two of them while finishing with eight receptions for 140 yards. With the offensive line dominating, junior running back T. J. Yeldon had 114 yards on just 13 carries and like sophomore running back Derrick Henry scored two touchdowns.

“I think this is as close to the Alabama football that we want to try to get from our players in terms of effort, toughness, emotional excitement and execution that we got throughout the game,” Saban said after Alabama improved to 6-1 (3-1 Southeastern Conference).

“Our approach to this game was that we wanted to find what exactly every position and player has to do and see if you can go out there and dominate your box and do you job.”

… and relax. That may have been the most important thing as the coach said his team had been pressing and playing uptight. It sure didn’t look it Saturday.

Alabama had an edge of 22-2 in first downs, 449-51 in total yards, 51-23 in plays, and 9 extra minutes in time of possession – in the first half. No. 21 Texas A&M had more punts, six, than rushing yards, 0, compared to the Crimson Tide’s 226.

It was reminiscent of watching someone play “Whack-A-Mole” on a broken machine.

The only glimmer of hope for Texas A&M (5-3, 2-3 SEC) was when Sims tried to force a pass to Cooper at the end of the first possession and defensive back DeShazor Everett could have had a pick-six had be been able to hold on to the interception.

Alabama settled for a 21-yard field goal and then really started swinging, lighting up the scoreboard with six straight touchdowns to close the half ahead 45-0. Sims even ran a 43-yard read-option into the end zone that made the Aggies look silly.

When his first pass of the second half was an easy 45-yard touchdown pass to Cooper, Saban pulled the starters. With no penalties or turnovers, their day couldn’t have gone any better as the Crimson Tide enjoyed touchdown drives of 10, 11, 10, four, 11, one, five and three plays. Everything it seemed to try worked.

Meanwhile, the defense was just as impressive, and as junior safety Landon Collins put it: “We just flew to the ball.” The longest rushing play it allowed was 9 yards, and the Aggies had just one pass play longer than 15.

“I felt it from the jump, as soon as we came out on the field,” junior cornerback Cyrus Jones said of defense’s attitude. “I could feel the swagger that we had.”

The Tide tallied nine tackles for a loss including six sacks, and broke up five passes while A&M converted just two of 13 third-down opportunities.

“I went back to my old basketball days,” linebacker Reggie Ragland said about the game’s only turnover, when he reached up and snared an interception in the second half.

This was also against a hurry-up, no-huddle spread offense, the kind that supposedly gives Alabama the most problems. Last year the Aggies had 628 yards of total offense (464 in the air), after 431 in 2012 (309).

This time Alabama finished with a 30-8 advantage in first downs, 298-31 in rushing, 602-172 in total yards, and 36:31 to 23:29 in time of possession.

In other words it was a complete win as Alabama had stellar performances in the areas that had been the most problematic, like special teams. There were no major gaffes and the 47-yard punt return by Christion Jones to the A&M 24 set up a Cooper touchdown on the next play.

Granted, on this day even the fair catches technically set up Crimson Tide touchdowns, but nothing spoiled the mood on the sideline. For example, when Reuben Foster made a big hit on special teams he was congratulated by, well, everyone, and with the speakers blaring “Jump Around” during a break the defense started to do just that.

“The game is supposed to be fun,” Collins said.

“The whole week everybody was enthused, into every thing,” Ragland added. “Second teams, third teams, everyone was into it. Everybody came out and played as one unit. Everyone finally put everything together and played as one.”

Texas A&M’s lone highlight turned out to be Trey Williams’ 75-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter, but not even that led to a score. By then starting quarterback Kenny Hill had been pulled for Kyle Allen in hopes of providing a spark. If he did, it was quickly extinguished.

“However you cut it, that performance was unacceptable and embarrassing,” Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said. “I think Alabama had a lot to do with that, but we’ve got to get back to work and examine where we are right now.

“I thought Alabama played very well today. They played like Alabama plays. They were better physically, particularly in the first half.”

As for the Secretariat theme, which came from Saban’s friend Jay Seawell, the men’s golf coach who received his second straight national championship ring at halftime, this might have been on par with the horse’s 31-length win in the Belmont.

They ran, they played, and they dominated.

“I think we got a lot of our confidence back,” said Sims, while the rest of the SEC West seemed to collectively say from afar: “Ah oh.”