Najee Harris began his postgame interview Saturday by telling reporters he did not want to answer any questions about Tua Tagovailoa’s injury.

Asked instead about his own four-touchdown day in Alabama’s 38-7 win over Mississippi State, Harris had little to say.

Tagovailoa’s injury, it turned out, was the only topic on his mind.

“I’m just hurt about our quarterback, what happened to our quarterback,” he said. “I’m not in the mood for you to ask me any questions, to be honest. That’s why I’m giving short answers. Not to be rude to anybody. I’m just not in the mood right now.”

Rarely does a 31-point win over a conference opponent create the solemn atmosphere that was witnessed outside the visitors’ locker room at Davis Wade Stadium, but Tagovailoa’s injury warranted the shockwaves it sent around the team and college football as a whole.

“He means a lot to our team, Harris said. “It’s our guy. I came here at the same time he did. Been friends with him since my freshman season. For him to go down like that really hurts.”

Tagovailoa was driven into the ground by two Mississippi State defenders after throwing the ball away late in the second quarter. He was later carted off the field and, according to coach Nick Saban, transported to Birmingham for further scans on his injured right hip.

Harris was enjoying one of his best games at Alabama before the course of the Tide’s season was potentially altered by Tagovailoa being smashed into the Starkville turf.

If Tagovailoa does not play another down this season, the offense might need to be re-centered around its top running back.

Harris became the first player in Alabama history to score three touchdowns in the first quarter, and his four first-half touchdowns matched teammate DeVonta Smith’s mark from a Sept. 28 win over Ole Miss.

Despite not touching the ball after the first possession of the second half, the junior rusher still led all Tide players with 139 yards from scrimmage. That continued a trend that began with an Oct. 12 road win at Texas A&M.

After offensive production over the first five games of the season was dominated by wide receivers, Harris has blossomed over the past month and has moved toward becoming the centerpiece of an offense that will be in need of one without Tagovailoa.

Harris has scored 11 touchdowns over the past five games. Next-best during that period for Alabama’s offense are DeVonta Smith and Jerry Jeudy, each with three.

Not only has Harris found the end zone at a blistering pace for the Tide, but he has paced the offense with 701 yards from scrimmage since the win at Texas A&M.

Over that span, Smith (489 yards), Jeudy (379) and Henry Ruggs (259) have seen their production ebb and flow, especially in the wake of ankle and hip injuries to Tagovailoa.

Meanwhile, it has been full steam ahead for Harris, who totaled 441 yards over the first five games and sputtered out of the gate. He was suspended for the first quarter of the season opener and gained only 52 yards on 12 carries in that game.

“He has gained confidence all year long,” Saban said after Saturday’s win. “The more he plays, the more success he has. He is running the plays very efficiently and effectively. He’s a hard guy to tackle. He’s a really good receiver.

“He’s done a really, really good job and I’m really pleased with the way he has played the last couple of weeks.”

Harris, who last week attributed his uptick in receiving production to simply playing more, continued after Saturday’s game to insist he only needed a chance to prove himself.

“It’s just more [about] opportunities to see how fast the game is and see things,” he said. “It’s more comfortable.”