The Alabama Crimson Tide football program held its first A-Day under new coach Karen DeBoer last Saturday, giving the public a first look at the new offensive and defensive philosophies being implemented at Capstone. showed.
DeBoer's offensive scheme gives the quarterback a lot of responsibility, but it also allows the signal caller to shine by creating mismatches in pass patterns and creating opportunities for explosive, momentum-building plays.
Backup quarterback Ty Simpson had a good performance in front of a modest crowd inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The redshirt sophomore completed 7 of 12 passes for 102 yards and led the offense to two touchdown drives.
How did Ty Simpson run the Alabama offense on A-Day 2024?
Drive 1: 14 plays | 75 yards – Touchdown
- The backup quarterback's day started with a free rusher hitting him in the face off the edge as Red Morgan quickly got into the backfield. Simpson was a bit confused by the play call, as the play-action roll put him on a direct collision course with Morgan. Instead of getting badly sacked on first down, he wisely threw the ball away.
- A short run from the right side creates a 3rd and 6 tackle for Simpson. The redshirt sophomore recognized the matchup between Cole Adams and safety Brayson Hubbard, and he kept the chains moving with a 20-yard completion. Simpson did a good job of shuffling slightly in the pocket to have enough space to make his first down throw and start the day.
- Richard Young and Daniel Hill's carries keep the offense moving and set up Simpson's next play from first base and 10 base. This incompletion is a play for Simpson to recover from, as he probably left a decent pocket and threw a pass that could have been hit. It was intercepted. We see Simpson react to edge pressure by stepping up in the pocket, but it's an overreach that puts him even more dangerous. Stuck in a corner thanks to his course correction, he compounded the problem by scrambling into coverage and underthrowing targets downfield without recognizing his safety.
- He read Quar Rousseau correctly on second down, but couldn't see how many yards he could run because of his black jersey, gaining third down and 6 yards. The Alabama defense only rushed for three, so Simpson had plenty of time to decide where to throw the ball, and Simpson's decision to try to find Emmanuel Henderson was solid. It was something. However, Simpson's pass was too high and incomplete, resulting in a fourth down.
- Simpson hit a fourth down pass to Danny Lewis Jr. into the keyhole between Jeremiah Alexander and Xavier Mincey. You can see his arm talent as he makes crucial choices that result in first downs.
- He also pieced together a good play when Simpson faced pressure and fired a pass to Daniel Hill. This was the second play of the drive, and the quarterback was put in a bad situation, but he made the most of it.
- The offense then scored four plays on a toss sweep by Richard Young. Simpson handled the errant snap and still executed the toss to Young, setting him on a path to the end zone and scoring the offense's second score of the day.
Drive 2: 4 plays | 75 yards – Touchdown
- Simpson's next drive begins with a very strong play-action pass to Kobe Prentice. Simpson improved on his mistakes in the pocket on the previous drive by climbing the pocket well to avoid edge pressure. Rather than apply pressure, he pauses once he's back in the pocket a little, then unloads it towards Prentiss. The pass could have been a little lower for Prentice to avoid the Keon sub, but at this stage of the game it was a strong pitch and catch as the offense gained 25 yards.
- Jam Miller shakes off a big run and takes the offense to the goal line, where Ty Simpson again makes a good call with the read option. His black jersey hinders play development, but this is another example of Simpson making good decisions and showing hints of his athleticism. Miller scored on a handoff on the next play, giving the offense a 31-0 lead.
Drive 3: 3 plays | 7 yards – punt
- Simpson's third drive began with a checkdown pass to Kobe Prentice. It's hard to see the progress from the TV copy, but it's clear that Prentiss is at best a second choice to Simpson, and likely a third choice on the first play of the drive. Richard Young exploded on a second-down handoff, forcing the offense to third-and-8.
- Kudos to the defense as they only rushed four times and defended the passing concept well on third and long. Simpson had nowhere to throw, so he stumbled out of the pocket. He brilliantly scored on a Caleb Odom run, but it wasn't enough to move the chains and keep the offense going down the field.
Drive 4: 4 plays | 27 yards – Punt
- Simpson's final goal of the day came on a 35-yard strike by Jermie Bernard on the opening play of the drive. The Crimson Tide's protection held up, allowing Simpson to use his legs to extend the play and Bernard to move across the field into an open area in zone coverage.
- The Crimson Tide's next play saw Tim Keenan beat Joe Ionata for a sack. Simpson and his receivers weren't on the same page on second down, but the quarterback threw a pass nearly wide, resulting in a very long pass to third. Simpson found Bernard on the outside, but unfortunately the Washington transfer missed it, ending the day on a low note for the Alabama offense.
Alabama's A-Day confirmed what many predicted about the 2024 Crimson Tide's offense. He'll be wide open and downhill, testing the defense vertically down the field in the passing game. Simpson wasn't perfect in the afternoon's game, completing 58 percent of his passes, but he was able to effectively execute some of the downfield concepts while the offense was still in its early stages under Coach DeBoer. did it.
