Even Johnny Manziel couldn't help but be impressed by Ty Simpson against Vanderbilt

Johnny Manziel came to Tuscaloosa this weekend to cheer on Diego Pavia, hoping the Vanderbilt QB could beat Alabama in Bryant-Denny like Manziel did 13 years ago.

Instead, Johnny Football got to witness the same reality he himself witnessed in the second attempt at facing Alabama: an angry, revenge-focused team that got the better of Manziel then, and Pavia today.

In a battle of two elite quarterbacks - Alabama's Ty Simpson and Vanderbilt's Pavia - the better player was obvious. Simpson was clearly the better player, and it was so obvious that even Johnny Football had to put the double birds away to give Simpson his props in the aftermath of the Crimson Tide's 30-14 victory.

Manziel interrupted Simpson's post-game interview to tell him, "hell of a game bro, you're playing like a baller."

Ty Simpson continues to look like one of the best QBs in the country

It was far from a perfect day for Simpson and the Alabama offense. He threw his first career interception on the Tide's opening drive. Alabama's offense far too often stalled on the Vanderbilt side of the field, being forced to settle for field goals on its first three possessions of the second half. Jam Miller finally punctuated the Tide's win with a touchdown run that put the game away.

But Simpson's numbers were once again impressive. He shook off the early pick to complete 23-of-31 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns.

No drive was more impressive - or more important - than Simpson leading the two-minute drill before the half. Trailing 14-7 after a Vanderbilt touchdown, Simpson led Alabama's offense down the field for 78 yards in just six plays, with only 1:33 on the clock and zero timeouts. Simpson capped the drive with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Germie Bernard that tied the game going into the locker room.

That drive gave Alabama some momentum - and restored belief in a frustrated Bryant-Denny Stadium crowd. The second half was a rout, and although Alabama couldn't capitalize and put the ball in the endzone when they should've, the offense did enough with the defense pitching a second-half shutout.

Simpson struggled at times in his first career start on the road at Florida State to open the season, but he's getting better - and more comfortable - every single week. He's led Alabama to four straight wins.

The scary part for the rest of the SEC and the country is that Simpson can still play better. He made a couple of mistakes today. He threw the interception and also took sacks when he should have thrown the ball away. He's still a young quarterback in his development, with only five starts under his belt.

But his developmental track has been exceptional in a short time. And his improvement - along with Alabama's as a whole - makes this team incredibly dangerous moving forward.