ATLANTA _ Although television cameras appeared to catch University of Alabama coach Nick Saban looking frustrated with his new offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin along the sideline during the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic, he had a much different story following the 33-23 victory.

“I though he did a fantastic job,” Saban said during his postgame press conference. “You know, the guy is a really good coach now, all right. Y’all need to fess up to that, and most places that don’t like him is because he left and they were mad because he left. They weren’t mad about anything he did while he was there. Just do a little research on that.”

Despite having a first-time starter at quarterback, senior Blake Sims, Alabama totaled 538 yards of total offense against West Virginia, with 250 passing and 288 rushing.

The Crimson Tide converted 9 of 16 third-down opportunities dominated time of possession, 37:47 to 22.13. It also had two 100-yard rushing performances and a 100-yard receiver.

“Did a great job,” said Saban, who had Kiffin on the field instead of in the press box like with his other offensive coordinators. “Really helped Blake manage the game, very involved. Even helped him with some of his checks being on the sidelines, which is what we thought. That’s why we put him there because that’s what we thought he could do to affect the game.”

While Saban admitted he thought Sims got a little rattled in the second quarter, he added: “I thought Blake Sims settled down in the second half, managed the game a little bit better, and I was really pleased with the way that he was able to perform overall.”

Sims completed 24 of 33 attempts for 250 passing yards and also had 42 rushing yards.

“You’ve got to give Coach Kiffin some credit,” West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said. “They’ve got playmakers on offense. They’ve got guys that can break tackles; they’ve got guys that can make catches in very, very tight situations. Those guys are pretty good.”