Curt Cignetti’s Indiana will see one of the most talented quarterbacks its faced this year in Alabama’s Ty Simpson this Thursday at the Rose Bowl.
It won’t be the first time Bryant Haines’ group will be tasked with containing an elite quarterback, but Simpson brings some things to the table Indiana hasn’t seen yet. For much of the season, Simpson was up there with Fernando Mendoza, Julian Sayin, and company in the conversation for the Heisman Trophy. Had Alabama lost fewer games, he likely would have
replaced Vanderbilt’s quarterback in New York.
Simpson currently sits at exactly 3,500 yards through the air this year, completing 64.1% of his passes for 28 touchdowns versus just five interceptions. He’s also rushed for two touchdowns on the season, capable with his feet but not a true dual-threat guy.
Unlike Sayin, the last big quarterback the Hoosiers saw, Simpson brings four years of college experience into the game. He’s also played two extremely consequential games recently, going 1-1 across the SEC Championship and the first round of the College Football Playoff.
With all this big-game experience, it’s safe to say that Simpson won’t be afraid of the moment in Pasadena. He’s coming off of a comeback win against a team that had beaten the Tide earlier this season, playing with a chip on his shoulder again as Indiana enters the game as the favorite.
Haines will be forced to generate pressure on his own, a task that will be more difficult given the loss of Steven Daley. Bama’s offensive line has been able to keep him clean on 70.1% of dropbacks this season, per PFF, but Simpson does tend to struggle on that 29% of plays when he’s pressured.
Simpson has been sacked 29 times this year, and his completion percentage drops below 50% under pressure, per PFF. He’s also fumbled the ball six times this year, losing five of those.
Indiana’s secondary will need to be active on the plays when the line isn’t getting to Simpson. He’s one of the best passers in the country on medium to deep routes, with 36.4% of his pass attempts being for ten or more yards. There was only one game this year when he didn’t complete a pass for 25 or more yards, so he will likely get his chunk plays.
Besides getting pressure on him, the key to this game could be the fact that Alabama’s offense has struggled to run the ball so far this year, something that will allow Haines to focus more attention on the passing game. The Crimson Tide was ahead of only LSU in terms of rushing yards per game in the SEC.
As a whole, Simpson is as deserving of Indiana’s full defensive attention as Dante Moore or Sayin, a real big-play threat. Indiana did well containing them, though, and will need to do so once more to move on to the CFP Semifinals.
