TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — University of Alabama senior quarterback Blake Sims said he knew what was going to happen just before kickoff against Texas A&M.

What sold him on it was the look in the eye of every starting offensive player.

“Man, it’s going to be a good day for us,” he said to himself at the time, which proved to be more than accurate.

Here are 10 ways that demonstrate just how impressive the No. 7 Crimson Tide’s 59-0 victory over No. 21 Texas A&M at Bryant-Denny Stadium was on Saturday:

  • The 59-point win was the Crimson Tide’s largest margin of victory since a 66-3 win at Vanderbilt on Sept. 29, 1979.
  • It was Alabama’s biggest shutout victory since the 62-0 victory over Tulane on Oct. 12, 1991.
  • It was the Crimson Tide’s largest margin of victory ever against a ranked opponent. The previous best was 55 points over No. 14 Syracuse in the 1953 Orange Bowl (a 61-6).
  • Alabama scored its most points since the 62 at Duke on Sept. 18, 2010.
  • The 35 points in the second quarter set a Crimson Tide record, topping the 34 scored at Ole Miss in 1989 (although the records exist only since 1945).
  • The 45 points scored in the first half tied the 2010 Duke game for the second-most in program history, trailing only the 52 against Vanderbilt in 1990.
  • It marked A&M’s first shutout loss since a 77-0 loss at Oklahoma in 2003.
  •  In terms of margin of defeat it was the second-biggest loss in Aggies history.
  •  The edge in total yards of 430 just missed being on Alabama’s top-10 list for largest differential in a game. It had 475 against Florida Atlantic and 472 vs. Florida earlier this season.
  •  It was Alabama’s biggest win ever against a Southeastern Conference Western Division opponent.

“I really was very, very proud of the way our team played today,” Coach Nick Saban said. “This was a really good game and a big game for us.”

Despite the reserves being plugged in early in the second half, Sims completed 16 of 27 attempts for 268 yards and three touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Amari Copper had eight receptions for 140 yards and two touchdowns, while junior running back T.J. Yeldon had 13 carries for 114 yards and two touchdowns.

“It was a lot of fun,” Sims said.