Ty Simpson may have already captured his Heisman moment following game-sealing throw to propel Alabama over Missouri
A throw that could change everything for Alabama.
Winning a Heisman Trophy takes more than four months of consistency. To win a Heisman, you have to have a moment. A point in time where you make a ridiculous play that carries your team to victory.
Well, late in the game on Saturday, Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson did just that against Missouri. On the road against an undefeated and top 15-ranked Tigers, it was 4th and 8, and Alabama needed to call game; it needed to take Missouri off the ropes and put the Tigers on the canvas.
Ty Simpson did just that.
Alabama QB Ty Simpson calls game with potential Heisman moment in Alabama’s win over Missouri
Sure, maybe this ball falls incomplete and Alabama holds on to beat Missouri after making a defensive stand. That ultimately happened, but not before Missouri came back with a score of its own, nearly getting into field position with a chance to tie the game with less than a minute remaining on the drive after.
Instead, however, Kalen DeBower showed his confidence in his WR corps, offensive line, and of course, Heisman frontrunner, Ty Simpson. What was so amazing to me about the throw is seeing how calm Simpson is.
Here it is, 4th and 8 on the road, with everyone and their brother ready to write you off if you lose. But what did Simpson do? He subtly rolls the pocket to gain some width, sets his feet and throws a touch pass like he was playing pitch and catch in his backyard.
And the craziest thing is that it has become commonplace. His ability to anticipate, stay poised under pressure both in terms of pass rush and game circumstance, and deliver is second to none in college football right now.
“I’ve got confidence in him too,” said DeBoer of Simpson after the game. “4th down mutiple times and he delivered. So just there’s things that he can keep getting better at, just staying within himself. That’s really the key for him. It’s just stay within himself, not trying to do too much. He does that. He stacks plays, he stacks first downs, and sooner or later, we end up in the end zone. So I think there’s still a lot of room for improvement. The sky is the limit for him.”
Honestly, Simpson’s only obvious flaw is that he holds onto the ball too long at times. He’s so confident and cool under pressure that he feels like he has all day to throw. And when he does play on time, he throws for 200 yards and three touchdowns while completing 74 percent of his passes.
So there is a lot of time left. Both for the Tide and Simpson to mess everything up, and for Alabama to show they are among the best teams in the nation after a flawed Week 1. But if the latter comes true, that throw on 4th and 8 from Simpson will go a long way.
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