Kirby Smart shares early impressions of Alabama QB Ty Simpson
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With a little over a minute to play in the third quarter against Florida State, Ty Simpson fired incomplete on a pass intended for Ryan Williams. It was Simpson’s eighth straight incomplete pass and Alabama turned the ball over on downs.
Since that moment, the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback has completed 48 of his last 58 pass attempts.
That includes a 17-for-17 showing in the rout of UL Monroe. That includes a 24-for-29 showing in a 38-14 drubbing of Wisconsin last weekend. Simpson has 608 passing yards in his last 2 appearances. He has 8 total touchdowns and 0 turnovers. Alabama, consequently, is 2-0.
“From what I’ve seen, he’s extremely accurate and he’s extremely athletic,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said Wednesday on the SEC coaches teleconference. “And those are 2 things that I already knew turning on the tape.”
Yes, a 31-17 loss to Florida State to open the season was deflating. Maybe even disastrous. Simpson, to his credit, has handled the response brilliantly.
He went 23-for-43 for 254 yards and 2 scores in the season-opener. While Simpson wasn’t entirely to blame for the defeat, 5.9 yards per pass attempt won’t beat a good team and everyone knew Alabama needed more from its first-time starter at the position.
Whether it’s a heater, a sign of things to come, or just a couple of positive showings against overmatched opponents is somewhat beside the point. Simpson scored a 66.0 PFF grade as a passer in Week 1. In the 73-0 win over ULM, he had a 91.1 passer grade. In the win over the Badgers, he had a 90.1 passer grade. He had 3 big-time throws, 0 turnover-worthy plays, an adjusted completion percentage in the 90s, and an average gain of 13.2 yards per pass attempt.
That’s getting it done.
Smart said on Wednesday that he just started watching Alabama tape. Georgia “focused on ourselves” on Monday and Tuesday. Smart wasn’t asked directly about Alabama at his Tuesday press conference.
Both programs are off this week ahead of their massive matchup in Athens on Sept. 27 (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
