Ty Simpson leads surgical TD drive to tie Alabama-Vanderbilt game at half
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One could make the argument it was the most important drive of Alabama’s season to date.
The Crimson Tide trailed 14-7. In Tuscaloosa, No. 16 Vanderbilt had wrestled momentum away from No. 10 Alabama again and taken a lead with just 1:33 to play before halftime. Vanderbilt would get the ball to start the second half. A 21-7 game would have been a disastrous development for an Alabama team that already had 1 loss on the ledger.
But Ty Simpson came through. Starting on the Alabama 22, Simpson led the Tide on a 6-play, 78-yard drive that needed only 71 seconds to find the endzone. A 27-yard strike down the left sideline to Germie Bernard tied the game for Alabama.
Simpson went 5-for-5 for 80 on the drive, completing passes to each of his top 3 receivers.
The starting Alabama quarterback threw an interception on Alabama’s opening possession. Vanderbilt’s Martel Hight stepped in front of Simpson’s fourth pass. From then on, Simpson hit 10 of his final 14 first-half pass attempts. He ended the half with 188 yards and 2 touchdowns on 13-of-18 passing.
Vanderbilt took a knee following Bernard’s score to send the game to halftime tied at 14-14.
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.
