Alabama's performances the last two weeks in blowout wins over UL Monroe and Wisconsin have gotten the attention of many around the country. Bouncing back from a season-opening road loss to Florida State, Alabama has won its last two games by a combined 101-14.
A big reason for that has been the quick maturation of Ty Simpson, who has looked like a totally different quarterback since seeming skiddish in his first career start. He has looked confident and in command, dropping dime after dime and refusing to let the football touch the ground. Over the last two games, Simpson has more touchdown passes (7) than incompletions (5). It doesn't get much better than that, regardless of the opponent.
College football analyst Joel Klatt joined The Next Round on Thursday and discussed what he's seen from the Crimson Tide the last two weeks. In the process, he sent a warning to the rest of the country:
"I don't know what happened against Florida State, I really don't," Klatt said. "Maybe we'll look back on that game and think well, Florida State was just ridiculously good and Alabama didn't play their best. Maybe that's the case because that's the way it looks in hindsight. But I don't want to play Alabama right now.
"If Ty Simpson is protected, he will carve you up. "The whole issue with Florida State was their offensive line played absolutely bootleg. They were terrible... I'm starting to be bullish on Alabama. The effort level stressed me out after the first week. I didn't love the game plan... There was a proud program the last couple of weeks."
With an increase in competition on the way, Alabama can build off of its last two games
Alabama's last two wins should come with a caveat: the Crimson Tide may only play one team on its schedule worse than either of those two programs the rest of the season. Alabama has one gimme game left when they face Eastern Illinois in November. Seven of their eight SEC opponents were ranked in this week's AP Poll, with the one unranked being South Carolina, a popular preseason playoff pick.
The competition increases immediately, starting next week with the most daunting test left on Alabama's schedule: a road trip to Athens to face off with defending SEC Champion Georgia. The Bulldogs have already proven their championship mettle with an impressive comeback win over Tennessee a week ago.
But Alabama can certainly build off the last two weeks. Kalen DeBoer and his team did exactly what they should have done against lesser opponents. There was pride in performance. They executed at a high level. They overwhelmed two teams that had no business sharing the field with them. That's all you can do in those situations.
The lights coming on for Simpson is a massive development., Against Florida State, the redshirt junior looked like a guy who wouldn't lose you a football game, but certainly wasn't going to win you many by himself, either. With the way he's dealing right now, he now looks like a QB who can elevate this team to a championship level.
The proof will be in the pudding next week in Athens. It's not a must-win game for Alabama, but it would go a long way toward erasing the memory of Tallahassee and reestablishing the Tide as a true contender.