The Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs will take center stage on Saturday night when they face off at Sanford Stadium under the lights in Athens in the first meeting between the two there in a decade.
It’s going to be a massive test for Alabama headed on the road for the first time since the Florida State loss, but more specifically their quarterback. As Ty Simpson prepares to make his first SEC start coming off two dominant performances after a shaky showing against the Seminoles, he does so with the knowledge that his team absolutely needs him to have a big game.
What Simpson did the last two weeks before the bye has not gone unnoticed despite the weak competition though, and Georgia head coach Kirby Smart doled out some massive praise to Simpson for what he’s been able to do.
“Ty is different than Jalen Milroe, so there’s a difference in that aspect,” Smart began when asked about preparing for Alabama now that Milroe is no longer there.
“But [Ty] is a really good athlete, he’s a tremendous athlete. He played in games last year and you watch the snaps he took and he has 60, 70, 80 yard runs outrunning good defenses.”
Smart took it a step further though, making it very clear he has been paying attention over the last two games.
“I would say he’s probably the hottest quarterback right now in all of college football,” Smart declared.
“His two last outings, I don’t know that I’ve seen an incompletion. Like the ball does not hit the ground. He’s been accurate, he’s been quick with the ball, they’re really hard to defend because of their skill. But you’ve gotta have a trigger guy that can get those guys the ball, and they do…he’s accurate, he’s quick with the ball, he’s a good decision maker, and he’s made some good throws.”
After going 17 of 17 with 226 yards and three touchdowns against ULM, Simpson followed it up against Wisconsin with a 24 of 29 performance for 382 yards and four touchdowns.
Headed into Athens, Alabama needs Simpson at his best if they are going to leave with what would be a massive victory.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.
