Ty Simpson continuing his insane passing run highlights quick observations from Alabama’s dominant win over Wisconsin
The Alabama Crimson Tide continued on with its 2025 football schedule with the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Alabama Crimson Tide entered Saturday looking to get back to a positive win percentage in 2025 after starting the season 1-1. Needless to say, they achieved that feat after beating Wisconsin 38-14 while displaying a dominant passing game. Below, you’ll find my initial takeaways from Saturday’s game.
Alabama-Wisconsin: Quick Observations
-Ty Simpson was simply outstanding on Saturday. Obviously, his stat lines over the last two weeks are jaw-dropping, as he finished Saturday 24-of-29 (82.8%) for 387 yards and four touchdowns. That means over his last two games, which included him sitting out almost three quarters, he completed 41-of-46 pass attempts (89.3%) for 613 yards and seven touchdowns while also adding another touchdown on the ground. Simpson’s timing, rhythm and accuracy have all been elite, and somehow, this has all come while having little to no consistent run game. He’s doing an excellent job of distributing the ball to a variety of playmakers, making Alabama’s offense all the more difficult to defend. Last week, we could chalk up his performance to opponent. This week? Simpson might be turning into something special, folks.
-Bray Hubbard was flying around out there today. Sure, he missed one tackle when the Wisconsin quarterback read a blitzing cornerback to the boundary and got the ball out quickly to his hot read, but the Mississippi native was seemingly all over the place, even if he wasn’t always making the tackle. He made some really nice plays triggering downhill and being physical, but he also secured his first two interceptions of the season, giving him five in just his first nine career starts. This is the type of energy and impact we were expecting from Hubbard coming into the season. Yes, he needs to be more of a consistent tackler at times, but he played like an All-SEC safety against the Badgers.
-The competition at right tackle continues. I thought Wilkin Formby played OK, and who knows, I might come back after watching the All-22 and say he played better than OK, but things just seem to look a little different when five-star freshman Michael Carroll is on the field. He looked especially effective when Alabama was backed up near its own goal line during the first half. No, I’m not saying Carroll is now leading that competition, and right now, it’s possible — likely, even — that Formby continues to be the starter against Georgia after the bye week, especially with the game being on the road. With that said, Carroll is getting better each and every week.
-True freshman London Simmons looked like a different player against Wisconsin. I thought he had done his job consistently enough through the first two weeks of the season, but he was way more active and disruptive on Saturday. He was effective working laterally up and down the line of scrimmage, and he did a nice job of notching his first career sack while almost securing a second. The growth he showed today could turn out to be an absolute game-changer for Alabama’s defensive line, especially once Tim Keenan is able to return from injury. Super impressed with what I saw from the former three-star recruit.
-Speaking of sacks, Alabama posted four of them on Saturday after entering the game with zero. In addition to Simmons, we saw LT Overton, Qua Russaw and Yhonzae Pierre all be able to bring down Wisconsin’s quarterback. It was unfortunate to see Overton have to leave the game due to an injury though, so we’ll have to wait and get a status update from head coach Kalen DeBoer after the game. If he’s out, we could see quite a bit more of Keon Keeley.
-Kevin Riley once again got the start at running back. He wasn’t really ever given the opportunity to get much going, but he once again continued to get a sizable workload (10 touches) relative to the other players at his position (all the other backs combined for nine touches). Plus, his ability to maintain focus and bring in that one catch where he got popped by the Wisconsin defender was impressive. He’s got some playmaking ability that’ll continue to be a part of the offense, even once Jam Miller is able to return.
-Speaking of playmaking ability, Ryan Williams was outstanding in his return from a concussion that kept him out of the Louisiana-Monroe game. He got a team-leading six targets, which he turned into five catches for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Yes, he could’ve had a third had it not been for another drop, but that’s just Williams. He’s going to suffer the occasional drop, but his ability to make spectacular plays, especially after the catch, is nothing short of remarkable. Of his 165 receiving yards, a whopping 109 came after the catch.
-Alabama did a great job getting and keeping others involved too. The offense opened in 12 personnel with just Williams and Germie Bernard on the field, but on the second play, freshman Lotzeir Brooks entered for Kaleb Edwards for Alabama’s first three-receiver set. With Brooks in the slot, Williams was able to play the X with Bernard at the Z. Then soon after, Isaiah Horton rotated in for Brooks to play the X with Williams sliding back inside. That type of inside-out versatility to create mismatches is exactly what it needs to look like moving forward. Throw in Rico Scott rotating in as that fifth option, and you’ve got one of the top WR rooms in the country.
-Bernard remains the reliable, steady option, and I also think we should acknowledge how much he’s helping kickstart Alabama’s offense to start games. Last week, all of his production came early. That was similarly the case in this game, but it’s more than enough with everyone else the Tide have available for Simpson. Bernard scored the first two touchdowns with one coming on the ground and the other through the air. That gives him three receiving touchdowns, which is a single-season career-high. Plus, his four total touchdowns in 2025 also ties a previous high. Considering Alabama is only through 25% of the season, I’d say that’s pretty impressive. He’s playing like a first-round talent.
*Note: This article will be updated with more observations.
