Tuscaloosa, AL (Sports Network) - The No. 13 Alabama Crimson Tide used two special teams touchdowns to get a 20-6 win over the Tulane Green Wave at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Javier Arenas and Chris Rogers both scored touchdowns for Alabama (2-0) on punt plays -- one return and one block. John Parker Wilson completed 11-of-23 passes for 73 yards, and Mark Ingram ran for 63 yards on 11 carries and found the end zone once.

"We've got a lot of things to learn from this game, and whether we do or not kind of defines our season and character as a team," said Alabama coach Nick Saban. "I'm talking about the offense. The defense and special teams played great. I'm talking about the offense's character and how we just didn't come out the way we needed to."

Kevin Moore connected on 28-of-49 pass attempts for 225 yards, while Brian King caught six passes for 51 yards for Tulane (0-1).

"They had a punt return for a touchdown, a blocked punt for a touchdown, and we missed two field goals," said Tulane coach Bob Toledo. "Our red zone offense wasn't very good and thats a credit to Alabama - they were able to keep us out of the end zone."

Special teams got the Crimson Tide on the scoreboard first. With 10:45 left in the opening quarter, Arenas returned a Tulane punt 87 yards for an early 7-0 lead.

With 3:15 left in the quarter Alabama blocked a punt attempt and Rogers returned it 17 yards for a score and a 13-0 lead after the botched extra point attempt.

Tulane got on the board in the second quarter, capping a 12-play drive with a 35-yard field goal by Ross Thevenot to make it 13-3 less than two minutes into the frame.

Alabama scored its first offensive touchdown to close out the third quarter. Starting from their own 23 after a missed field goal, Wilson completed passes of five and seven yards to move to the 35 and Ingram rushed for 24 yards over the next three plays to get into Green Wave territory.

Wilson then ran for 11 yards on a designed quarterback draw, and after completing a 12-yard pass to Marquis Maze, Ingram ran for 16 yards to get into the end zone for a 20-3 Tide advantage as time expired in the frame.

Thevenot added a 21-yard field goal to cap an 11-play drive that lasted 3:13, making it a 20-6 affair with just under 12 minutes left to play.

Alabama leads the all-time series 27-11-3...It was the first meeting between the schools since 1994...Glen Coffee ran for 55 yards in the win...Thevenot went 2-of-4 on field goal attempts...Tulane had 318 total yards in the game, compared to Alabama's 172.

GAME NOTES: The 13th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide are fresh off a statement victory to open the campaign, and they will attempt to move to 2-0 as they host Tulane this weekend.

This game marks the season opener for the Green Wave, and preparations have been a bit more complicated because of an evacuation to Birmingham, Alabama, to avoid the wrath of Hurricane Gustav. Last season, Tulane only one four games under first-year head coach Bob Toledo, but considering that not much was expected of the team, some would call the campaign a mild success. With seven starters back on offense and the same number on defense, there is reason for some guarded optimism, although the club is a heavy underdog heading into this opener. The Green Wave will attempt to win their opener for the first time since 2002 and improve their dreadful 19-104-2 mark against nationally- ranked opponents.

Alabama has stolen many national headlines by virtue of its 34-10 thrashing of highly-ranked Clemson in the opener. The game was played on a neutral field at the Georgia Dome, making the triumph all the more impressive. Head coach Nick Saban experienced some ups and downs last season as he attempted to change the culture of Alabama football. While it is important not to get carried away with one performance, it certainly seems that Saban has restored the program to prominence.

Alabama owns a 26-11-3 lead in the all-time series with Tulane, and the teams haven't met since 1994.

Last season, Tulane relied heavily on tailback Matt Forte, who rushed for over 2,000 yards, and he is now running for the NFL's Chicago Bears. Green Wave fans will now pin their hopes on junior Andre Anderson, who takes over for Forte. The 6-0, 210-pound Anderson has only 32 career carries to his credit, but he has been impressive in practice and is expected to be the workhorse in 2008.

If Anderson can be a consistent ground gainer, sophomore quarterback Kevin Moore will be able to operate with less pressure. The 6-5, 213-pound Moore has a strong arm and got some valuable experience last season, completing 30-of-54 tosses for 432 yards and a pair of scores. Wide receiver is an area of strength for the team, as it returns four of its top five pass catchers. Junior Jeremy Williams highlights the group, as he broke through to lead Tulane with 46 catches, 773 yards and five touchdowns last season.

New Tulane defensive coordinator O'Neill Gilbert hopes that his seven returning starters will provide stability. Generating pressure figures to be a strength of this defense with the return of senior Reggie Scott and junior Adam Kwentua. The 6-4, 258-pound Scott was finally healthy for a full season in 2007 and he showed a glimpse of his potential by recording 27 tackles, nine TFLs and four sacks. As for the 6-3, 259-pound Kwentua, he made five TFLs and four sacks in his first season of extensive action and could be primed for a break through in 2008. Kwentua does have a back injury but is expected to play through the pain.

The linebacking corps is the strength of the this unit, and Evan Lee is the best of the bunch. The 6-1, 224-pound senior led Tulane with 99 tackles a season ago and he is explosive and a big hitter that makes everyone around him that much better. In the secondary, Tulane returns a pair of starters from a unit that is looking to do better than the 288 passing ypg it surrendered in 2007.

Alabama led Clemson 13-0 after the first quarter and 23-3 at intermission. While the game was much more competitive in the second half, the Tide were always in full control. They controlled the ball for over 41 minutes, a figure that can be attributed to a relentless power running attack and accurate passing. John Parker Wilson completed 22-of-30 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, showing tremendous poise and control. Mark Ingram and Glen Coffee both finished with 17 carries, and Ingram had 96 yards, six more than his backfield mate. Among the receivers, Nick Walker made seven catches for 67 yards and a score. The offense was 11-of-17 on third down conversion attempts and scored on all six of its trips to the red zone.

With zero turnovers and zero sacks allowed, it is hard to imagine a better effort. "We came out with a different mindset," Wilson said after the thorough beating of the Tigers. "Making good decisions was the big focus today. I think we did that today, took care of the ball. We didn't put ourselves in any bad situations, and the way our defense is running that's all we had to do."

As great as the Alabama offense played, it can certainly be argued with validity that the team's defense was even better. After all, Clemson finished the game with zero rushing yards despite featuring two of the most talented tailbacks in the nation. In all, Alabama permitted 188 yards, an extremely low total considering Clemson's immense ability. 'Bama had three sacks and two takeaways, and it held the Tigers to 1-of-9 success on third down conversion attempts.

"I'm obviously very proud of our team," coach said after the opening win. "Finishing the game has been our motto for the season. The game tonight epitomized that."

A confident team is a dangerous team. Throw big-time SEC talent into the equation and Nick Saban has a contender on his hands. Tulane has no chance to even remain competitive this weekend.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Alabama 45, Tulane 6