Under Curt Cignetti, the Indiana squad is set to encounter one of the most skilled quarterbacks they have encountered all season in Ty Simpson from Alabama, on Thursday at the Rose Bowl.
This won’t mark the initial instance where Bryant Haines’ unit has been assigned the challenge of curbing a top-tier signal-caller, yet Simpson presents unique attributes that Indiana has not yet confronted. Throughout a significant portion of the current campaign, Simpson was regarded alongside figures like Fernando Mendoza, Julian Sayin, and others in discussions for the Heisman Trophy. If Alabama’s game record had included fewer defeats, he would probably have taken the spot of Vanderbilt’s quarterback in New York.
Simpson’s aerial performance for the current year stands precisely at 3,500 passing yards, having successfully connected on 64.1% of his throws, resulting in 28 scores against merely five picks. Additionally, he has contributed two touchdowns on the ground this season, showing proficiency with his legs without being classified as a genuine dual-threat player.
In contrast to Sayin, who was the last prominent quarterback the Hoosiers faced, Simpson enters this contest with four full years of collegiate play under his belt. Furthermore, he has participated in two particularly high-stakes encounters recently, achieving a 1-1 record encompassing both the SEC Championship and the opening stage of the College Football Playoff.
Given his extensive experience in critical matchups, it is reasonable to conclude that Simpson will not be intimidated by the atmosphere in Pasadena. His most recent outing was a come-from-behind victory over an opponent that had previously defeated the Tide this season, implying he carries renewed determination, especially with Indiana being perceived as the favored team entering this contest.
Haines will independently need to create defensive pressure, a challenge compounded by the absence of Steven Daley. Alabama’s offensive front has successfully protected him on 70.1% of his pass attempts this season, according to PFF analytics, yet Simpson frequently falters on the remaining 29% of snaps when facing pressure.
This year, Simpson has been sacked a total of 29 times, and his accuracy rate falls below 50% when under duress, as reported by PFF. Moreover, he has mishandled the football six occasions throughout the season, with five of those resulting in turnovers.
The defensive backfield for Indiana will have to maintain heightened engagement during plays when the defensive line fails to reach Simpson. He stands as a top national passer on intermediate to long throws, with 36.4% of his aerial efforts targeting ten yards or more. In the entirety of this year, there was only a single contest where he failed to connect on a pass covering at least 25 yards, indicating he is prone to generating substantial gains.
Beyond applying pressure on him, a crucial aspect of this matchup might stem from Alabama’s offensive unit experiencing difficulties in their ground game throughout the current year, a circumstance that could enable Haines to direct greater emphasis towards defending against the pass. The Crimson Tide’s per-game rushing yardage in the SEC surpassed only that of LSU.
Overall, Simpson warrants Indiana’s complete defensive focus to the same extent as Dante Moore or Sayin, representing a genuine danger for significant gains. Indiana demonstrated effective containment against those players previously, however, and must replicate that effort to advance into the CFP Semifinals.
