In a thrilling Iron Bowl victory, Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson led a game-winning drive, crediting his faith for his composure under pressure.



Asked to break down the game Saturday night after leading his team to a gut-wrenching rivalry win, Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson didn’t begin by talking football – he first paused to thank Jesus.

Simpson engineered a memorable 15-play, 75-yard drive in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, capped by a fourth-down touchdown pass to Isaiah Horton that silenced the home crowd at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium to defeat the Tigers, 27-20 in what football fans call the “Iron Bowl.”

Simpson’s 122 passing yards and three touchdowns improved the 10th-ranked Crimson Tide to 10-2 and propelled them to the SEC Championship Game. More significantly, it kept them in the running for a College Football Playoff berth.

“First off, thank you to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” Simpson told ESPN in a postgame interview. “What an awesome blessing. [It was a] childhood dream of mine to play in the Iron Bowl. Thank you to Him.”

Simpson’s six-yard fourth-and-2 touchdown pass in a tie game with 3:50 left in the game was one of the more stunning moments of the college football season. Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer skipped a short field goal that would have given the Tide a three-point lead, instead rolling the dice and putting the ball in Ty Simpson’s hands – convinced a touchdown was needed to win. If Simpson’s pass had fallen incomplete, Auburn could have won with a field goal.

“It starts with our head coach. It comes from him – our resiliency, and it just goes down the line. Credit to the O-line, credit to the running backs, the whole offense, the defense. What a great team win,” Simpson said.

Asked how he stayed poised on the fourth-down play, Simpson again returned the conversation to faith. He even quoted a Bible verse.

“My Lord and Savior – I’ve been here before,” Simpson said. “I go by a verse, Micah 5:5. It just talks about [not] being anxious – and I know whatever happens, the Lord has me.”

Simpson has been vocal about his faith this season. In October, he joined several star teammates in leading a night of worship and testimonies inside Alabama’s home, Bryant-Denny Stadium.

“We kind of go by this motto in the Simpson household: How can you have a bad day knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ died for you? … No matter where I’m at, no matter what happens, God died for me,” he said in October.

Alabama plays Georgia Saturday at 4 p.m. Eastern in the SEC Championship.

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