Ty Simpson’s patience at Alabama, sticking with the program through four years with four different offensive coordinators and two head coaches, paid off this season as he won a three-way quarterback battle for the starting job. Then, his first career start in Week 1 on Saturday at Florida State did not go to plan.
Simpson was far from the only problem in the Crimson Tide’s 31-17 loss to the Seminoles, DeBoer’s fourth to an unranked opponent in 14 games as the head coach in Tuscaloosa. However, he wasn’t the solution either, and though Alabama has plenty of talent up and down the roster, the Tide may need a quarterback who can carry them through the SEC.
Will that player be Simpson? DeBoer, Ryan Grubb, Nick Sheridan, and Alabama fans everywhere won’t get their answer in Week 2 as the Tide hosts Louisiana Monroe at Bryant-Denny Stadium, no matter how well the redshirt junior QB plays.
Alabama needs more than big numbers against a bad team from Ty Simpson
Now don’t get me wrong, Alabama fans could use the catharsis of a 50+ point victory over ULM at home because there will be plenty of animosity directed towards DeBoer when he walks out onto the field named for his legendary predecessor. Still, it won’t mean much for the Tide, with their superior athletes and overwhelming size, to pound a team that finished 5-7 last season with a 3-5 record in the Sun Belt.
Simpson will have plenty of time in the pocket and receivers with significant separation. When he had that against Florida State, he fared well, completing 20 of his 29 throws from a clean pocket for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Where he ran into issues was when there wasn’t a big window to throw into.
Instead of throwing with anticipation, which a quarterback with a B+ arm and average athleticism has to, Simpson didn’t trust his eyes, held onto the ball, and either invited pressure or bailed from a clean pocket. On pressure dropbacks, Simpson went 3-for-14 for 68 yards with an average depth of target north of 15 yards downfield and an unacceptable 4.33-second time to throw (per PFF.com).
Against ULM, he won’t face those circumstances nearly often enough to see if he learned from his first start or not. Regardless of whether Ryan Williams returns from his concussion to play or not, Simpson will have open receivers to throw to, and he is mobile enough to escape the pocket against Sun Belt defensive ends and linebackers. What appeared to be a budding bad habit against FSU will suddenly be disguised as an impressive scramble just a week later.
Alabama won’t learn what it needs to about Simpson this week, and maybe not even against Wisconsin in Week 3. His true test with come against Georgia in Athens on September 27, and after that game, DeBoer will have to decide whether to ride with his veteran or hand the keys to five-star freshman Keelon Russell.