'This is Why You Come to Alabama': Ty Simpson's Keys to SEC Championship

The Crimson Tide quarterback reflects on what went well during the first meeting with Georgia earlier this season, but acknowledges "this isn't the same team."

Ty Simpson runs in the Iron Bowl | Sarah Munzenmaier

Many conferences have a good amount of parity each year when it comes to the final two teams on championship weekend.

Not the SEC.

Either Alabama or Georgia has made it to the SEC Championship game every year since 2014. The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs have also met in the title game four times, as Alabama has won every matchup.

While these two programs often go head-to-head in the postseason, they've only met in the regular season three times since 2020. Alabama has also won all of those contests, including a 24-21 final score in Athens, Ga. on Sept. 27.

"Just thinking about the game the first time, we were really good on third down," Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson said during Monday's teleconference. "I think we were 7-for-7 at one point and I think that's what set us apart and helped us out in the game.

"So one, being able to convert on third down, but two, goes back to being good on second down as well. I thought last game we weren't very good on second down and its why we weren't very good on third downs because we had a lot of third-and-longs. We just have to have efficient plays, stay positive in the yardage and take each play as it is."

Simpson finished that game completing 24 of his 38 pass attempts for 276 yards and two touchdowns, while also finding the end zone once on the ground. His efforts helped him become named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week.

As the season has grown, the same could be said for the first-year starter. Simpson, a redshirt junior, shared the ways he's developed mentally, as "it goes back all the way to Florida State to now."

"One, just the way that I prepare and go through everything," Simpson said. "I kind of know what to expect through a game week and a game day. Two, it goes back to how is my mindset going into the game? Was I worried about this? Was I worried about that? Was I thinking about a certain type of thing to much or was I just playing free? The third thing is just being disciplined and just playing underneath myself. That comes with learning, new experiences, reps and time."

As previously stated, Alabama reached the SEC Championship quite a bit under head coach Nick Saban. But in Year 2, Kalen DeBoer has led the Crimson Tide to Atlanta. DeBoer said on Monday that his position makes "you want to continue to have that legacy of our program be what is," and Simpson feels a similar way.

"This is the SEC Championship. This wasn't something that the committee picked, or whoever picked, we earned this," Simpson said. "We went through a tough schedule to get through this position. But we also have got to understand that this isn’t the same team we played a couple months ago.

"They’ve found a new identity and they've got it rolling. We've got to go and understand that our mindset doesn't have to change and that it’s going to be a heavyweight fight. Last year, last time we played them, none of that means anything. They're going to have a chip on their shoulder and something to prove and we know what's at stake.

"This is why you come to Alabama. This is what you dream about as a kid — playing in an SEC Championship — and we need to make sure we see it like that."

No. 10 Alabama (10-2, 7-1 SEC) will face No. 4 Georgia (11-1, 7-1 SEC) on Saturday in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC.

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