Alabama Quarterback Has 'Free Reign' To Ensure Play is Right Before Snap

No. 9 Alabama prepares for an SEC Championship rematch against No. 3 Georgia this weekend in Atlanta as the Crimson Tide offense searches for consistency.

The Crimson Tide offense put up 397 yards against Georgia in September, but has struggled down the back half of the season, needing clutch drives in road games against South Carolina and Auburn while struggling with turnovers against Oklahoma.

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson has been a key cog for the Crimson Tide all season, passing for 25 touchdowns and only four interceptions. He's shown a strong ability to come through in the clutch, but often frustrates fans as he communicates deep into the play clock to get the offense in the right play.

"I think a lot of it is when you're on the road, in the environments," Alabama coach Kalen Deboer said. "We were 4-0 on the road. I think that was a common theme, is the clock gets a couple seconds lower because the communication and the movement of the quarterback to have to really get up in each lineman's ear. You can't say something and guys hear. You have to give the signals, double-checking to make sure everyone is on the same page. It does wind the clock down a little bit further.

"We give him full rein to get to what he needs to get to. He has a high football IQ. We don't ever want him taking a snap that he's not comfortable with, someone not being on the same page with him.

"That happens a little bit more on road games. But we do shift in motion. We do huddle. We have the ability to play faster. All those things lend to the play clock coming down. That's part of who we are. We've won the time of possession. I think our average is well over 33 minutes. That's team football. Controlling the football, taking care of it, that's what Ty and our offense do to help support the defense. The defense, of course, doing their thing to support the offense."

Despite Simpson's late communication the Alabama quarterback has only accumulated three delay of game penalties all season, with his last one coming against Missouri in early October. Simpson's strong play throughout the season has landed the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship and his antics have the program 10th in the nation in time of possession. Simpson may play it close with the clock, but he's kept Alabama in good plays offensively, and has help the defense by controlling the pace of games.