Demons be damned, Heisman candidate Ty Simpson and Alabama solve Vanderbilt
By David Wasson
Published:
The demons were there, staring Alabama square in the face.
The demons were there, alright, wearing white on this gorgeous fall afternoon, but with the same black helmets and gold Vs ready to once again shock the world and take another step on an unlikely ascent up the college football ziggurat.
The demons where there, and they punched the Crimson Tide square in the face early Saturday in Alabama’s home stadium.
What was the difference this time for Alabama, a year after a stunning defeat that began a stunning slide and staring once again into the face of the demons that was mighty… checks notes… Vanderbilt?
Ty Simpson.
The Alabama quarterback authored the first draft of what could be a Heisman Trophy résumé to fully exorcise those pesky demons from Nashville – carving up the Commodores in a 30-14 victory.
Maybe you didn’t hear the collective exhale of relief from the 100,077 who bore witness to Alabama-Vandy II, but you better believe Saturday’s effort by the Crimson Tide was cathartic for everyone who endured last season’s 40-35 shocker that began a 5-4 slide in the second half of 2024.
And for 10th-ranked Alabama, overcoming the 16th-ranked Commodores not only re-established the status quo against Vandy but also meant a fourth-straight victory and more miles in the rear-view mirror from its season-opening loss at Florida State that had more than a few loud Tide fans calling for Kalen DeBoer’s head.
Not that it was easy, of course. Because coach Clark Lea’s Vanderbilt Commodores aren’t your father’s Vanderbilt Commodores by a fair stretch. Vandy sauntered into Bryant-Denny Stadium riding a 5-0 record and with a quarterback who has already beaten the NCAA this season – infusing Diego Pavia with even more confidence than he had last year when he triggered long-suffering Commodores fans to rip out the home-stadium goalposts and throw them into the Cumberland River.
Not content to just talk the talk all week, Vanderbilt promptly walked the walk Saturday – picking off Simpson to thwart the Tide’s opening possession and then ripping off a 65-yard Sedrick Alexander touchdown run. But Simpson was undeterred by the game’s first couple haymakers, tying it at 7 early in the second quarter with a 14-yard TD dart to Ryan Williams and then answering a late Vandy TD before halftime with a 27-yard TD strike to Germie Bernard to tie it at 14 heading into intermission.
Simpson continued to be calm in the face of Vanderbilt pressure in the second half, twice engineering drives that resulted in Conor Talty field goals in the third quarter. But Simpson’s pièce de resistance came in the fourth quarter with Alabama clinging to a 20-14 lead – assembling a draining 16-play, 69-yard drive that ate up almost 8 1/2 precious minutes and led to another Talty field goal.
While not a march that resulted in a flashy touchdown, that drive had all the earmarks of a possession reflective of what Alabama football can be. Simpson hit 4 different receivers, dove for 4 yards on a QB sneak and then dished it off the mammoth offensive tackle/Alabama folk hero Kadyn Proctor for another critical first-down conversion.
The second Talty’s 30-yard field goal split the uprights, all of Vanderbilt’s bluster deflated like a child’s birthday party balloon. Pavia was unable to move the Commodores against a defiant Alabama defense, and the Tide cherried Saturday’s sundae with a Jam Miller 20-yard touchdown run with 17 seconds to go.
Cue Rammer Jammer and all that harmonizing about beating the hell out of Vandy, and all the measurables certainly pointed in that direction. Simpson was a crisp 23-of-31 for 340 yards. Miller rattled off 136 rushing yards on 22 carries. Alabama outgained the Commodores 486-333 and held onto the ball for a will-crushing 37:23.
But it was how Simpson and the Tide performed under pressure – especially compared to the origami-like effort Alabama offered against the Seminoles – that should turn the heads of more than one Heisman voter. A first-year starter, Simpson was calm in the face of a Vanderbilt defense designed to fluster him and delivered every pass into every spot that truly mattered.
The demons were there for Alabama on Saturday, same as they were last season. But unlike the Jalen Milroe-led Tide in 2024, the Simpson-led Tide simply did what had to be done to come out with a victory.
Was it pretty or flashy? No. Will it fill an entire SportsCenter segment? Unlikely. But Simpson’s Alabama Crimson Tide won a game it could have easily lost against a very talented … checks notes again… Vanderbilt squad to give not only DeBoer more time to shape Alabama in his own image but also put Simpson’s first-draft Heisman resume in front of the discerning public.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
