It wasn't Ty Simpson's best night as Alabama's starting QB. The offense sputtered far too often, and for the fourth straight week, he lost a fumble on a sack.
But as has consistently been the case for Simpson this season, he delivered in the biggest moments of the game. That included a brilliant touchdown drive before the end of the first half that gave the Crimson Tide a two-touchdown lead heading into the locker room.
It also included a big throw to Isaiah Horton to put Alabama in scoring position when it led only 17-9 in the fourth quarter. The drive stalled, but a Connor Talty field goal allowed Alabama to take a two-possession lead. Following a Yhonzae Pierre strip-sack, Simpson and the offense put the game away with a first down.
It was ugly, but a win is a win. Especially in today's college football.
Alabama knows it's going to get the best shot of every team it faces. Thus is the curse of the Crimson Tide. They also know that everyone will keep tuning in every week, hoping to see them lose. Alabama is the villain in the story for many, a role that Simpson and his teammates continue to embrace.
"I want our legacy to be - everyone doubted us at first with the way we came out in the first game, but that's just part of it," Simpson said in the postgame interview on the field. "It's Alabama against the world. Nobody thinks we're good, nobody thinks we can win, but that's just part of it. It's all about us and what we do. We've been saying that all year. It's all about what we do, and it's all about that until the end of the season."
Ty Simpson and Alabama are solely focused on what they can do to get better
It's hard to complain about an 11-point win over LSU. Alabama covered the spread, even. But this team has aspirations much higher than beating mediocre teams on its home field. Alabama wants to win the National Championship. That's the goal at the beginning of the season for every Tide team. That hasn't changed this season.
But Alabama didn't look like a championship team on Saturday night. Kane Wommack's defense played like a championship unit. But the offense was far too stagnant, managing just three points against a team that was ready to quit with a swift push off the cliff.
Alabama couldn't string plays and drives together. Simpson missed far too many throws that he has consistently made this season. The running game remained porous.
Kalen DeBoer has a lot to work on with this team. The performance tonight was good enough to beat LSU. It probably isn't good enough to beat Oklahoma next week. It's far from good enough to win the SEC or the National Championship.
If the offense can't pick it up in the coming weeks, the world is going to get its wish.