Alabama has the third-worst running game in the SEC. So, when the Crimson Tide struggled to muster up 72 yards on 23 carries at South Carolina over the weekend, it shouldn’t have come as too much of a surprise.
The alarming stat in No. 4 Alabama’s 29-22 victory at South Carolina came in the Tide’s inability to hit big plays through the air.
According to Pro Football Focus, Ty Simpson entered the weekend completing 14 of 26 passes that traveled 20 or more yards past the line of scrimmage. Those throws went for 406 yards and five touchdowns with one interception.
It was a different story against South Carolina, as Simpson completed just one of his nine deep-ball attempts, with his only completion coming on a 25-yard pass to Ryan Williams in the second quarter.
Simpson faced constant pressure on the day and suffered a drop by Williams on one of his deep balls. However, the redshirt junior was far from his sharpest, failing to deliver catchable passes on several big-play opportunities. Here’s a look at what went wrong with Alabama’s deep shots.
Tony Tsoukalas is a staff writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with more than a dozen years of sports writing experience. Tsoukalas, a graduate of Alabama, has covered the Crimson Tide since 2016, previously working for the Anniston Star, Bama Central and Rivals. He won first place in the 2024 Associated Press Sports Editors contest in the Division D Beat Writing category. Along with team coverage, Tsoukalas provides a weekly column featuring his take on Alabama athletics. Follow him on X at Tony_Tsoukalas
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