Why Alabama football QB Ty Simpson showed no panic vs Auburn despite struggles

AUBURN — Ty Simpson was animated as he took the field at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

It was his first time leading Alabama football as its starting quarterback into an Iron Bowl. And everything was on the line. The hopes he had, the dreams of what he could help lead the Crimson Tide to were all up for grabs in those 60 minutes inside the belly of the beast.

Simpson stood in the middle of the circle of fellow member of the Alabama offense.

"It's all about Bama," he screamed. "It's always been about Bama."

Simpson knew how he wanted the Iron Bowl to go. He wanted to be at its center. If Alabama was going to beat Auburn and earn a trip to the SEC Championship Game, it was going to be because of him.

"I told coach (Kalen DeBoer) all week, 'Just give me the ball,'" Simpson said. "'Just put it all on me.'"

Simpson wanted to be the Iron Bowl hero. And at points during the Crimson Tide's 27-20 road win against Auburn, he crumbled under the pressure.

Simpson was jumpy early, overwhelmed by the stage he was on. He overthrew receivers despite sitting in clean pockets. He was under duress, forced to run.

Simpson was inaccurate, posting his lowest completion percentage in a single game as a starter. He averaged just over 3 yards per pass attempt and over 6 yards per completion.

Simpson led an offense that only had 280 yards of offense, that averaged only 3.8 yards per play.

But Simpson knew what he was getting into.

"They're a very, very good defense," Simpson said. "We knew that coming in."

But when Alabama needed Simpson most, he came through.

Tied at 20-20 with 11:43 left in the game, Simpson took the ball. He led a methodical 15-play scoring drive that approached eight minutes of game time. One play − a 1-yard loss by Daniel Hill − went backwards. Two pass attempts ended in penalties that gave Alabama first downs. Two were incomplete. And four went for a total of 25 yards.

When Alabama faced a fourth-and-2 in a tie game at the Auburn 6-yard line with less than four minutes remaining, Simpson didn't leave the field. And he converted, finding Isaiah Horton for a 6-yard touchdown, Horton's third touchdown reception of the game.

"Just not panic. Just find a way to get the next first down," DeBoer said of Simpson's final drive. "It starts with one, and focusing on the next play. Never worrying about the what-ifs, the situations. Just focusing on the moment, get your call in, get your pass protection set, get your check made, whatever it is. And just execute the best you can. When it goes well, you stay on the field. And that's what these guys did."

And while his numbers indicated struggle, Simpson did his job when it was all on him.

"I'm proud of Ty and just the way he executed," DeBoer said. "And obviously that fourth down was a big one."

Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Why Alabama football QB Ty Simpson showed no panic vs Auburn