Alabama’s Nick Saban pleased with team’s mental toughness in win over Texas: ‘Tough times make hard people’

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban knew being 20-point favorites heading into the Week 2 matchup against Texas didn’t mean much. 

While fans and pundits predicted a dominant victory by the Crimson Tide, Saban cautioned against buying into the hype, referencing Alabama’s loss to Texas A&M as heavy favorites during the 2021 season. 

Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide talks with officials before a game against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium Sept. 10, 2022, in Austin, Texas.  (Tim Warner/Getty Images)

Saban’s concern turned out to be well-founded, with Alabama squeaking by 20-19 Saturday. 

Saban praised his team’s mental toughness at his Monday media availability for finding a way to win while not playing its best football. 

STEVE SARKISIAN CHANNELS HIS INNER NICK SABAN, SAYS TEXAS MUST BE ‘CAREFUL OF THE RAT POISON’

"I think you get mental toughness because things are hard," Saban said Monday. "You have to embrace hard. I think that’s true in your life. I think that’s true in football. I think tough times make hard people. Easy times make soft people. It’s no different in football. If it’s hard, you have to embrace hard. I have no problem with our players and how they embraced hard in this game.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, left, and Alabama head coach Nick Saban meet on the field during team warmups before a game Sept. 10, 2022, in Austin, Texas.  (AP Photo/Rodolfo Gonzalez)

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

"They showed a tremendous amount of toughness and resiliency to play through what they had to play through to win the game," Saban continued. "We didn’t execute like we