Alabama’s first time feat of Kalen DeBoer era in huge win over Vanderbilt signals that Ty Simpson has offense ready for playoff
Alabama WRs are all hitting their stride with Ty Simpson like DeBoer’s elite trio at Washington
The Alabama Crimson Tide may have started off a bit slow against Vanderbilt on Saturday as they failed to score in the opening quarter. However, once Ty Simpson and his elite stable of weapons hit their stride they scored 30 points in final 38 minutes of the game, defeating the Commodores 30-14.
Amid all that offensive dominance down the stretch, the Alabama offense accomplished something they hadn’t done before in the Kalen DeBoer era too. They saw three wide receivers all eclipse 60 receiving yards on the day. That might not sound that impressive, but it’s a rare occurrence, not just for Alabama, but across the sport.
Key facts & stats on Alabama WRs with Ty Simpson
- Ryan Williams, Germie Bernard, and Isaiah Horton all caught at least four reception for 66+ yards on Saturday in Alabama’s win over Vanderbilt. It was the first time three Alabama WRs logged over 60 yards in the same game in the Kalen DeBoer era.
- When Kalen DeBoer had Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan, and Ja’Lynn Polk all hitting their stride at Washington all three of those wide receivers saw 60+ yards in the same game multiple times as they pushed their way to a 14-1 season and a trip to the national championship.
- That elite trio of WRs all now have over 320 receiving yards and at least three touchdowns on the season.
Ty Simpson’s chemistry with all three of his top WRs is a great sign for playoff push
Over the years, Alabama has put together several elite trios of wide receivers, sending many of them on to be successful in the NFL. However, there were some doubts that the Crimson Tide would ever have anything close to the wide receiver rooms they had in the prime Nick Saban years. It seems like they might have something special with their group now.
Ty Simpson continues to grow each and every week with his star wide receiver trio of Ryan Williams, Germie Bernard, and Isaiah Horton. So far this season each of them have taken a turn dominating the targets, receptions, and touchdowns, but this week against Vanderbilt they all saw plenty of success.
Williams logged six catches for 98 yards and a score. Bernard caught five balls for 82 yards and a touchdown. Horton caught four receptions for 66 yards himself. This used to be a common occurrence for Kalen DeBoer’s offense when he was at Washington. Now Ty Simpson and the Tide’s wide receivers are putting on a show too.
Ryan Williams certainly had the most impressive day among the Alabama receivers, dominating on nearly every snap, making multiple incredible plays, including a 54-yard reception and a touchdown. However, Germie Bernard’s clutch play in critical moments really helped the team pull away for the blowout victory. His touchdown with less than 20 seconds to go before halftime that made it a two-score game really put the nail in the coffin for Vanderbilt.
Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard have been the two wide receivers to get all the credit this year, but fans around the country need to remember and give credit to Isaiah Horton too.
Horton has just seven fewer receiving yards and the same amount of touchdowns that Ryan Williams has this season. At 6’4″, 200+ pounds he’s catching just about everything thrown his way, creating mismatch nightmares for opposing defenses with his size-speed combination.
If Alabama’s trio of wide receivers continues to grow together, creating easy separation, and making Ty Simpson’s job easy every single week, this Crimson Tide team might just be ready to make a deep run into the College Football Playoff. DeBoer has done it before elsewhere. He can do it again now.
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