Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson impressed against No. 5 Georgia on Saturday as the 17th-ranked Crimson Tide walked out of Athens with a 24-21 victory.
Simpson went 24-38 for 276 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. He played a significant role in the Crimson Tide going 13-19 on third downs, and Simpson established himself quickly as both of his touchdown passes came in the first 17 minutes of the game for a 14-0 lead.
“It takes a lot of work when you get in an environment like we had today,” Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer told reporters afterward. “They can’t hear him, and you gotta make sure every word is heard. And the effort that he put forth today, the energy he just showed in the locker room, and he’s given everything he has.”
“But yeah, we knew we were more than likely gonna have to get right up there in their ear, telling them exactly what’s going on with those protection checks, make sure everyone’s on the same page,” DeBoer added. “One guy blows an assignment or doesn’t hear something correctly, now you got a guy in your lap, you’re the quarterback.”
Ty Simpson Sustained Drives Against Georgia
Simpson’s first touchdown pass came on a 6-yard completion to Germie Bernard in the first quarter to cap a 14-play, 74-yard drive in 6:30. The Tide scored again when Simpson connected with Isaiah Horton on a 6-yard pass with 14:01 left in the second quarter, which completed a 14-play, 83-yard drive.
Georgia then got on the board for the first time with quarterback Gunner Stockton’s 38-yard touchdown pass to Colbie Young, which cut the lead to 14-7. Simpson couldn’t get the Tide far on the next drive, but he made something of his team’s fumble recovery on the next Bulldogs drive.
Simpson kept the Tide in field goal range on a short drive as kicker Conor Talty made it 17-7 on a 24-yard field goal. Georgia answered with an 11-play, 75-yard drive, capped by running back Chauncey Bowens’ 2-yard touchdown run to cut the Tide lead to 17-14.
Ty Simpson Showing Progress Despite Relatively Quiet Second Half
Simpson closed the half strong as he led an 8-play, 75-yard drive and finished it with a 2-yard touchdown run. While he didn’t lead any scoring drives in the second half, he led a 10-play, 49-yard drive in the third quarter where Talty missed a field goal.
“I think he’s continued to do a really good job of keeping his eyes downfield, trusting his offensive line more and more in path protection,” DeBoer said of Simpson. “And then the guys are getting in the right spots at the right time. The repetitions that are happening in practice, just even the completion percentage and the execution in practice.”
“You can see it, they continue to build. And so, he’s ripping it, cutting it loose,” DeBoer added. “And I’m proud of him because he’s playing with some energy and some emotion. He’s giving some talks to the team that are pretty passionate. And he’s all in, that’s for sure.”
Simpson has completed 69.3% of his passes this season for 1,138 yards and 11 touchdowns, versus no interceptions.