Ty Simpson has quickly gone from an unknown to one of the best quarterbacks in college football. So, as his status changes, so do the expectations for how Alabama needs him to perform in SEC play.
Simpson had another 200-yard game with big throws in the Crimson Tide’s Week 7 since over Missouri, but he was far from perfect. Now the question becomes, will his new bad habit be costly in Alabama’s SEC Title pursuit, or will he clean it up as he navigates his first season as the Tide’s starting QB?
I mentioned it last week as a concern that cropped up in Alabama’s win over Vanderbilt: Ty Simpson is holding onto the ball too long. After his shaky Week 1 performance, in which he was late on throws and relied too heavily on his legs, Simpson sped up his process and threw with excellent timing and anticipation for three straight games.
However, his average time to throw has been on a steady rise in SEC play, as is his sack total. Simpson took four sacks for the second straight week, and this time, he coughed up the ball to give Missouri an extra possession.
Now, it’s not the same situation as Week 1. Against Florida State, Simpson simply wasn’t trusting his eyes. He wanted to see his receivers come open before he would let the ball fly, and by then it was too late. His offensive line played poorly, and he was on the run constantly. Now, he’s throwing in rhythm and with anticipation, his offensive line is playing much better, yet, he’s taking sacks at an alarming rate. Why?
Well, part of it is Alabama’s lack of a run game. There is so much playmaking responsibility thrust on Simpson, and for the most part, he has delivered. He’s delivered so consistently that Ryan Grubb is trusting him to drop back nearly 40 times in and game, but it seems that he’s no longer willing to let a play die and throw the ball away. Simpson has just one throwaway all season, and he’s not scrambling quite as effectively against SEC defenses.
Simpson is still one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the country, and there isn’t another quarterback I’d trust more on a third-down obvious passing situation. Yet, he has to learn how to better pick his spots, because sacks are drive killers, and he’s too important to be taking the number of hits he is.
Despite those issues, Alabama went 9-for-18 on late downs with a 64 percent late-down passing success rate. He was nails when he needed to be, and that was the difference, with Missouri finishing at an eight percent late-down success rate. He’ll need to clean up his decision-making in the pocket and learn when to give up on a play, but that’s all part of the maturation process for a first-year starting quarterback.