When Alabama needed Ty Simpson the most, he delivered-not just with the numbers, but with the kind of presence that defines big-time quarterbacks in big-time moments. Down 17 points to Oklahoma in the first round of the College Football Playoff, Simpson didn’t just rally the Crimson Tide to a 34-24 comeback win-he looked like the guy who had once been a Heisman frontrunner back in October.
The stats tell part of the story, but the poise, confidence, and command he showed in the second half? That’s what really turned heads.
And that version of Simpson-the one who plays like the moment belongs to him-is exactly who Alabama will need when they head to Pasadena for their CFP quarterfinal showdown against Indiana in the Rose Bowl. The Hoosiers are led by Fernando Mendoza, this year’s Heisman Trophy winner, and he’s every bit as dangerous as the hardware suggests. But if Simpson is locked in like he was against Oklahoma, this quarterback duel could be one for the ages.
Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb wasn’t surprised by what he saw from his quarterback. He saw the shift coming.
“I feel like Ty was going to be ready for that moment,” Grubb said. “That’s how it felt talking to him on the headset-that if we got that moment, he was going to make the throw and we were going to make the catch.”
At halftime, Simpson’s numbers were solid: 9-of-16 for 103 yards and a touchdown, with the game tied 17-17. But it was the second half where he really found his rhythm, going 9-of-13 for 129 yards and another score. And even that line could’ve been better-there were a couple of drops that left yards (and maybe points) on the field.
The timing couldn’t have been better. Simpson had struggled through much of November and didn’t look sharp in Alabama’s SEC Championship loss to Georgia. But something shifted heading into this game, and Grubb pointed to a mindset that took hold before kickoff.
“I think there was a mindset going into the game that was embedded in Ty,” Grubb said. “I think it was one that you saw in the Georgia game earlier in the year-a little bit of the ‘let it rip’ mentality. Not worrying so much about what’s going on around him or how this could affect anything else, other than just playing.”
That freedom-playing loose, trusting his reads, and believing in his guys-was evident. According to Grubb, Simpson was locked in, fully in the moment, and confident the plays would come. And they did.
“We got a couple man coverage looks that we’d been wanting, that we won on,” Grubb said. “And Lotzeir Brooks got it all sparked when he hit that third down on a man opportunity.”
That third-down conversion to Brooks wasn’t just a play-it was a momentum shift. It was the kind of throw that says, We’re not done yet. And from there, Simpson looked like a quarterback in control, not just of the offense, but of the game’s tempo, energy, and outcome.
Now, with the Rose Bowl looming and a red-hot Indiana team waiting, Alabama knows what it has in Simpson. He’s not just a quarterback with a strong arm and a good stat line-he’s a gamer. And if he brings that same edge to Pasadena, the Crimson Tide might just have the answer to Mendoza and the Hoosiers.