Ty Simpson had his Heisman moment against Auburn, but he won’t get any credit for the wrong reason
Alabama’s season was saved by Ty Simpson making two clutch plays.
The entire season was on the line for the Alabama Crimson Tide, and it got the job done in the only way it knows how, in a dramatic ending to the Iron Bowl.
Alabama was ranked as the No. 10 in the College Football Playoff rankings heading into its matchup against Auburn, and a loss ends the season, while a win punches a ticket to the SEC Championship. After being up 17-0, Auburn battled back to make it a 20-20 game, where Alabama needed to make yet another dramatic play to get the win in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Big players make big plays, and despite the hostile environment and struggling moments, Ty Simpson showed up and made two clutch plays that saved Alabama’s season. The plays were big enough to give Simpson a Heisman moment, but people won’t give him credit for it, and they’re wrong.
Ty Simpson makes iconic plays in unforgettable Iron Bowl matchup
Alabama’s season fell into the hands of a 15-play, 75-yard drive that lasted almost eight minutes, with two clutch plays by Simpson. The Crimson Tide were at the 50-yard line and had a 4th and two that needed to be picked up, or Auburn got the ball back with momentum and great field position. That’s when Simpson delivered his first breath-holding play, with a major pickup on the ground that looked like a disaster.
Alabama continued to march down the field and grind the clock away. The offense faced a 4th and two at Auburn’s six-yard line, and it looked like it would kick a field goal to go up three points, but head coach Kalen DeBoer had other plans. He kept Simpson and the offense on the field and made the gutsiest call of his career with the entire season at stake. Simpson shocked everyone when he hiked the ball with one second on the play clock and delivered a dart in a tight window to Isaiah Horton to score a touchdown and go up 27-20 with less than four minutes left.
Ty Simpson is being discredited Heisman consideration for the wrong reason
Simpson was considered to be a Heisman favorite heading into the game against Oklahoma, but Alabama lost and dropped in the rankings. He still threw for 326 yards and a touchdown with only one interception against a stout Oklahoma defense. Then he had a strange stat line of two interceptions against Eastern Illinois after one bad throw and a Hail Mary attempt that got intercepted. Alabama focused on running the ball in that game, and Simpson only played the first half.
Those two games shouldn’t be a reason for Simpson not to be a Heisman finalist after beating Georgia, Missouri, and Auburn on the road with clutch plays to seal the deal. Simpson still has 3,056 passing yards, which is more than Indiana QB Fernando Medoza, and has 25 touchdowns and only four interceptions on the season. He’s had the hardest schedule to go through compared to Mendoza and other possible finalists, and beat Diego Pavia head-to-head with almost twice as many passing yards.
Simpson should be a Heisman finalist after two more clutch plays to save Alabama’s season, but we know he won’t get the respect because of the Eastern Illinois game, which honestly shouldn’t take away what he did in the hardest schedule among Heisman candidates.
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