Ryan Grubb: 'Ty Simpson was at an all-time best' vs. Oklahoma

Alabama went into Norman for a first-round College Football Playoff matchup against Oklahoma, coming out on the other side with a bit of revenge. The Crimson Tide is advancing to the Rose Bowl and has plenty of people to thank for the win. Quarterback Ty Simpson is one of them after getting back to his form from earlier in the season.

Simpson was a huge reason why Alabama stayed afloat after the Florida State losses. Great performances were routine during that specific stretch. But if you ask offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, what Simpson did vs. Oklahoma was better than them all. Not just because of the on-field play, as Grubb says Simpson injected belief into teammates.

“Ty, I thought, was at an all-time best, in my opinion,” Grubb said. “Just the way his resiliency on the sideline, his mindset, the things he was saying in-between series. Just was a belief that if I was down there playing with Ty, I would have believed we were going to get this done.”

Belief was certainly needed after Alabama went down 17-0 early in the second quarter. The offense had produced little to nothing, instead watching Oklahoma put together scoring drives for a great deal of early momentum. Atmosphere inside Gaylord Memorial Stadium built, putting a ton of pressure on Simpson to put something together.

From there, he delivered in a big way. Simpson went on to complete 18 of 29 throws for 232 yards and two touchdowns. Maybe the most important of them all, there were no turnovers from the Alabama starting quarterback. A huge storyline during the regular season matchup, winning the turnover battle also played a key role.

“It felt very Tom Brady-esque,” FOX analyst Joel Klatt said of Simpson after the game. “Now, again, I hate comparing people to Tom Brady. But you got that sense from Brady, ‘Hey, one play at a time. Let’s go put a drive together. Let’s do something positive right here that can trend forward for the rest of the game.’ It felt like Ty Simpson was doing that.”

Grubb is going to need another elite-level performance from Simpson to keep the College Football Playoff alive. Thursday brings a trip out West to the Rose Bowl, where the No. 1-ranked Indiana Hoosiers are waiting on the other side. Facing quality quarterbacks will be nothing new for IU, meaning Simpson faces another quality defense in a massive test.