For the second week in a row, Alabama found itself in a four-quarter dogfight in a game that should have long since been over. That's not to dismiss Vanderbilt and Missouri - both, surely, are quality opponents - but the Crimson Tide's offense missed chance after chance to deliver early knockout blows the last two weeks.
Leading 17-10 at halftime against Missouri, Alabama got the ball to open the second half with an opportunity to drive down and take a two-score lead, putting game pressure on a Missouri offense that prefers to grind games out on the ground. Instead, the first play of the half for Alabama was an abject disaster: Simpson was sacked, fumbled, and Missouri recovered. Three plays later, the game was tied at 17.
After trading punts, Alabama went on a long drive that ate up the rest of the third quarter. After a direct snap to Kadyn Proctor set Alabama up with a 1st-and-goal at the 1, Jam Miller ran in for an easy touchdown. Except Ty Simpson tripped on the hand-off, and his knee touched before he handed the ball off. The touchdown was negated, and Alabama could do nothing from the 5. They settled for a field goal to take a three-point lead.
A Bray Hubbard interception got the ball back in the hands of the offense with a chance to take a two-score lead. But after moving the ball to the Mizzou 31, Ryan Grubb called three straight unsuccessful pass plays, and Alabama had to settle for a long Connor Talty field goal attempt. He missed, keeping it just a three-point game.
Fortunately, Alabama's defense got another stop, and after a failed fake punt, the Tide marched down for a touchdown, aided by some 4th-down gambling by Kalen DeBoer. The two-score lead didn't last long, and Alabama couldn't end the game with the ball, which led to the defense having to make another play to win the game.
That's not a sustainable formula going forward. That's three straight games where the offense hit a wall in the second half. Against Georgia, Alabama went scoreless in the final 30 minutes. While the Tide managed 16 points against Vanderbilt a week ago, they settled for field goals on three straight drives and didn't reach the endzone until there were less than 30 seconds to play. Against Missouri, Alabama managed just 10 points in the second half.
Ty Simpson blamed himself for Alabama's second half struggles
“I thought we did a good job in the first half, but a terrible job in the second half,” Simpson said. “I told the guys in there, I said, ‘We’ve got to be better, and it starts with me.’ I can’t come out in the second half and fumble it first play, and they score. That game should have been put away a long time ago, and that’s disappointing on my part. We’re such a good offense, but we’ve got to be better in the second half. We had a lot of things going in the first, and we’ve just got to put it away.”
Simpson was solid, if not spectacular, against Missouri. He was 23-of-31 for 200 yards and three touchdowns in the three-point win.
Alabama's struggles weren't nearly all on Simpson, though. He certainly left some plays out there. Ryan Grubb didn't call a great game and frequently put the offense in unfavorable situations with his calls. And the offensive line, after being outstanding in pass protection for several weeks in a row, struggled to keep Simpson upright.
It also didn't help that Ryan Williams was clearly hobbled and a complete non-factor in the gameplan as a result.
Alabama has little time to get it figured out. After three straight games against ranked opponents, the Crimson Tide will face a fourth straight next week in Tuscaloosa against Tennessee.
This offense has the potential to be one of the best in the country. They were far from it on Saturday, and the missed opportunities to step on Missouri's throat almost proved to be costly. If it continues, it's going to lose this team a game sooner rather than later.