Alabama faces Oklahoma in Friday’s College Football Playoff opener with questions surrounding quarterback Ty Simpson’s health status.
The Crimson Tide signal caller directly addressed injury rumors this week. Simpson said he’s not dealing with any specific injury that would impact his playoff performance.
“I’m great. I’m excited. It’s a great opportunity to play in the College Football Playoff. At this point in the season, I don’t know a team who is healthy at all, so fire me up. I’m ready to go.”
Simpson’s comments came via AL.com during Alabama’s playoff preparation.
Alabama didn’t list Simpson on their injury report ahead of Friday night’s matchup with the Sooners.
The sophomore quarterback acknowledged taking hits during the regular season’s final stretch. He said that’s typical for every team remaining in the playoff field.
“Everybody is getting hit. Everybody is sore in some type of way.”
Simpson’s Production Drop
Simpson’s statistics show a significant decline over Alabama’s last three games since the November loss to Oklahoma.
His completion percentage dropped from 66.8% in the first 10 games to 54.4% in the final three contests.
Yards per game fell from 278.7 to 160.3 during that same span.
Simpson’s yards per attempt decreased from 8.2 to 5.3. He threw just four touchdowns compared to three interceptions in those final games, after posting a 22-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio through the first 10 games.
The quarterback was considered a potential Heisman Trophy contender earlier in the season before his production declined.
Simpson has started every game this season for Alabama without missing time due to injury.
Alabama’s playoff success likely depends on Simpson returning to his early-season form against Oklahoma’s defense, which limited the Crimson Tide offense in their November meeting.
The Sooners’ defense created significant problems for Alabama’s passing attack during that regular season loss.
Simpson’s health status becomes crucial as Alabama attempts to make a deep playoff run with their second-year starting quarterback leading the offense.
