Rapid Reaction: Ty Simpson leads No. 8 Alabama to huge win over No. 14 Mizzou
Published:
Ty Simpson was sacked on first down. Mizzou edge Damon Wilson just blew by the Alabama right tackle like he wasn’t even there. The eighth-ranked Crimson Tide were stopped in the backfield for a 7-yard loss on second down. Simpson got 16 yards back on third down, but all it did was set up a fourth-and-8 at the Mizzou 38-yard line.
The clock had a little over 5 minutes on it. The Crimson Tide had a 20-17 lead. Rather than punting and playing defense, Kalen DeBoer put the ball in Simpson’s hands and emboldened him to make a play.
And that’s exactly what Simpson did. He floated to his left, faded away, and launched a ball downfield to freshman receiver Lotzeir Brooks. In what might have been the best pure throw of Simpson’s season, he dropped it in the only spot he could. Brooks brought in the catch, Alabama scored 4 plays later, and the Crimson Tide took a commanding 27-17 lead on the Tigers.
That was enough. In a hard-fought game between a pair of top-15 SEC squads, Alabama came out on top, 27-24. Simpson threw 3 touchdown passes to help lead the Crimson Tide (5-1, 3-0 SEC) to a second road win over a ranked opponent in 3 weeks.
The first-year starting quarterback had a fumble on the opening play of the second half that helped Mizzou climb back into the game, but he was otherwise fabulous on the day. Simpson completed 23 of his 31 passes for 200 yards.
His first touchdown tied the game at 7-7 midway through the first quarter. It answered a 6-play, 78-yard drive from Mizzou to open the game that sent Faurot Field into a frenzy. His second touchdown was a 16-yard laser to Isaiah Horton.
And his third touchdown of the game went to Daniel Hill on a fourth-and-goal play with less than 4 minutes to go, giving the Tide breathing room to survive a late Mizzou push.
But that throw to Brooks earlier in the drive? That was Simpson’s magnum opus. If there’s a Heisman Trophy ceremony trip to be made later this season, that throw, on fourth-and-8, in a 3-point game, with the game very much on the line, is going to be shown on a loop to justify Simpson’s invitation.
The Tigers had a chance on the final drive of the game. Beau Pribula completed a fourth-down throw to Donovan Olugbode that kept hope alive. But Alabama defensive back Dijon Lee Jr. ended the threat with an interception.
With the victory, Alabama becomes just the fifth team in SEC history to beat ranked opponents in 3 consecutive weeks.
For Mizzou, the futility continues against the Tide. The Tigers have yet to beat Alabama as a member of the SEC. Mizzou last beat Alabama in 1975. The 14th-ranked Tigers (5-1, 1-1 SEC) will try to bounce back next week at Auburn.
Alabama hosts Tennessee next Saturday.
Alabama 27, Mizzou 24
Here’s the Alabama-Mizzou box score (use the dropdown menu to select team or player stats), followed by the complete play-by-play:
Ty Simpson vs Beau Pribula
Did Ty Simpson help his Heisman odds? A statistical breakdown of how Alabama’s QB performed compared to Mizzou counterpart Beau Pribula:
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.
