Ty Simpson threw for 200 yards and three touchdowns, including a decisive fourth-down strike to Daniel Hill with 3:16 remaining, as No. 8 Alabama held off No. 14 Missouri 27-24 on Saturday.
The Crimson Tide (5-1, 3-0 SEC) survived a tense finish to earn their fifth straight victory, leaning on a resilient defense that bottled up the nation’s leading rusher Ahmad Hardy and disrupted quarterback Beau Pribula for much of the night.
Simpson continues to impress and should be the front-runner for the Heisman. Week in and week out, Alabama’s offense is left in Simpson’s hands, and he’s handled those duties with the kind of calm precision you want from your quarterback. Protecting the football is job number one, and once again Simpson delivered—three touchdowns, zero interceptions against a stout Missouri defense.
Playing on Faurot Field against a rowdy Missouri crowd—hosting its first top-15 matchup and chasing a program-defining upset—Simpson showed poise. With arguably one of the SEC’s best defensive linemen, Zion Young, pinning his ears back and applying constant pressure, Simpson stepped up in the pocket and found open receivers in tight coverage.
Jam Miller was steady for the second straight game, grinding out 80 yards on 25 carries and keeping the Tide on schedule in short-yardage situations before exiting after a helmet-to-helmet hit. From there, both defenses locked in. This was a vintage SEC matchup—tough running, bruising hits, and, yes, a few Oklahoma drills courtesy of Kadyn Proctor inside the five-yard line.
Missouri entered as the nation’s leader in time of possession, but Alabama flipped the script early—dominating the ball in the first half and using Miller to move the chains. The pivotal sequence came late in the third quarter. With the score at 20–17 Alabama, Eli Drinkwitz took a gamble on 4th-and-short from his own 40—and it backfired. The Tide capitalized.
Freshman wideout Lotzeir Brooks came up clutch, hauling in a huge 4th-and-8 catch to move Alabama inside the 10. It was the Tide’s longest play of the day and the defining moment. On the next sequence, Simpson hit backup running back Daniel Hill in the flats for what became the final, decisive score—stretching the lead to 27-17.
Missouri fought back with 1:40 remaining, but the comeback came up short. Still, the Tigers’ secondary deserves its due—holding sophomore sensation Ryan Williams to zero catches and limiting Simpson to just 80 yards in the first half.
Alabama’s defense matched that energy, shutting down Missouri’s top target Kevin Coleman—who entered the game averaging eight catches per contest and finished with just one. The Tide extended its winning streak over Missouri to seven games dating to 1975.
Through it all, Simpson once again quietly orchestrated this offense to perfection. His command, confidence, and efficiency continue to grow each week—and right now, he’s playing football at a level that should have everyone in Tuscaloosa thinking Heisman.
The Crimson Tide return home to host No. 12 Tennessee next Saturday, while Missouri visits Auburn.
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