Even though he only retired from head coaching just a little less than two years ago, it seems as if a lifetime has passed since Nick Saban was last on the sidelines with the Alabama Crimson Tide. No one ever expected them to be able to fill the shoes of a seven-time national champion, but fans and analysts alike are still holding the program to a similarly high standard, and that’s now resulted in their quarterback, Ty Simpson, receiving a fair bit of criticism.
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The 22-year-old turned the ball over four times throughout the Tides’ last four outings, causing many to believe that he doesn’t have what it takes to lead Alabama back to the championship podium. According to Saban himself, however, “Ty is very capable,” you just have to keep in mind that the quarterback position is “maybe the hardest position in sports if the people around you don’t play well.”
“Some of the issues that have been created on Alabama’s offense come from the fact that there’s more pressure, more sacks. They’ve been able to affect the quarterback which has led to the four turnovers… The offensive line needs to play a little more consistently… If they can do that, I think Ty is very capable of getting back to where he was somewhere in the middle of the season, when he was playing outstanding.”
Simpson’s 428 pass attempts and 275 completions were both the most in the SEC this year, while his 3,268 passing yards ranked 15th in the nation. His four-game turnover streak may have dampened his final stat sheet, but outside of that, he only threw one interception throughout the entire season.
Throw in the fact that he was still able to produce 26 passing touchdowns, which was the 14th highest total this year, and that’s enough for Saban to give him a bit of leeway. “It’s feast or famine,” the 74-year-old suggested in reference to Alabama’s ability to block up front.
“How they can execute against pressure, to me, is the most important thing because, if you can get to the back end of Oklahoma’s defense, I think you’ve got a chance to make plays.”
Oddsmakers gave the official nod to the Sooners ahead of this one by booking Oklahoma as a narrow -1.5 point favorite against Saban’s former team. Although with the Tide sporting odds of just +110, it’s clear that no one is fully confident when it comes to fading Alabama.
For better or worse, however, Saban will simply have to hope that Kalen DeBoer caught the Pat McAfee Show this week and that he took his advice. Otherwise, it’ll be a second consecutive year of heartbreak for Alabama as their former head coach is left to stew at home about what went wrong in his absence.
