Great players are rarely satisfied. Alabama has a great player in Ty Simpson. Even better, along with his physical talents, he's mentally strong. A coach's son, built in the shadow of Nick Saban as the GOAT's last quarterback.
You can hear it every time he speaks. From pregame locker room speeches to the team, to the postgame after a 16-point win over a ranked opponent. Simpson has it, and it's it that can lead Alabama to the promised land.
For the fourth straight game, Simpson was terrific for Alabama. He threw his first interception of the season, but he shook it off and completed 23-of-31 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns. His most impressive work was on the final drive of the first half with the Crimson Tide in a 14-7 hole.
Simpson got the ball in his hands with only 1:33 on the game clock and zero timeouts. He promptly led a 78-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a 27-yard touchdown pass to Germie Bernard to tie the game going to the locker room.
That swung the momentum pendulum back in Alabama's favor, and the Crimson Tide outscored the Commodores 16-0 in the second half to win 30-14.
But things were far from perfect for Alabama's offense in the second half. The defense stepped up and shut down Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt, but the offense couldn't put the game away despite ample opportunities it was afforded. Simpson and Alabama's offense consistently stalled out inside the Vanderbilt 30-yard line. Alabama had to settle for field goals on its first three offensive possessions of the half, allowing the 'Dores to hang around for much longer than they should have.
Simpson put the blame squarely on his shoulders for the issues.
"It's really my fault," Simpson told reporters. "We had too many negative plays...I took four sacks. Like, I can't do that. I've got to throw the ball away."
Ty Simpson is the real deal - and Alabama football is super dangerous as a result
Any concerns over Simpson as the team's starting QB after an uneven performance in Tallahassee have proven to be more than foolish. He's settled in and has proven he's not only the best quarterback for Alabama right now, but he's also one of the best in the entire country. Others are beginning to take notice, too, and he's going to fly up NFL Draft boards.
He's exuding confidence. The receivers feel it. The backs feel it. The offensive line feels it. The whole team is feeding off of it.
And the most exciting part for Alabama fans is that Simpson and the Tide's offense is far from a finished product. They're just now figuring out the running game. They're still trying to unlock the right combination on the offensive line. They're still trying to execute better in the red zone.
And Simpson is getting better every single week.