Adversity could not have struck Alabama at a worse time. Already, the odds are heavily stacked against the Crimson Tide after a 38-3 record. More to the woe, head coach Kalen DeBoer faces another setback as QB Ty Simpson breaks down on the sidelines.

In the first half, Simpson faced a massive hit, causing a fumble. Followed by which he was seen grimacing every time he threw. Late in the third quarter, Coach DeBoer went to him and told him,” You are going to take rest.”

With such a high-stakes clash, Simpson’s exit from the game marked an emotional moment as the QB fell into tears on the sidelines. After completing 13 of 16 passes for 125 yards, Ty passed sown his signal-calling duties to Austin Mack.

Bama was finally seeing the action after a 0-24 blowout late in the third quarter. Conor Talty extended Bama’s lead by scoring a 28-yard field goal. However, the Tide faced another set of challenges after losing its star quarterback. Following his exit, The Athletics’ Joe Rexrode mulled over Simpson’s back injury.

“If this quarterback change doesn’t have something to do with Ty Simpson aggravating his back injury, it feels a little too much like Kalen DeBoer pawning off blame on a player. Simpson hasn’t been great, and the fumble was a huge moment in this game.”

Reporter Holly Rowe later confirmed that his exit had something to do with his (Ty’s) back.

The redshirt sophomore has barely seen three game appearances before stepping in for an injured Ty. The 2025 season hasn’t been kind to the Tide. Having struggled to run the ball all season, the offense would often cave in to a one-dimensional approach. For weeks, Ty’s arm did the heavy lifting. Now, at a time when it couldn’t have mattered more, Bama has lost that edge as well.

Indiana’s defense literally ran over them. The Hoosiers rushed for more yards (215 yards) than Alabama had in total (193 total yards). But as Rexrode and others argue, could you really bring Simpson? Indiana is physically and schematically dominating, as he put it.

Its defense recorded 41 tackles and three sacks, knocking out the Tide’s offense to a mere 193 yards. Indiana has been winning all season, including a victory over the defending national champion, Ohio State. It couldn’t have been more obvious that Bama was losing. A 38-3 three comeback was far from the making. The largest Rose Bowl comeback was seen between Georgia and Oklahoma, a 17-0 surge. But today at Pasadena, Alabama’s was far from pulling up such a move.

After Simpson exited the game, Austin Mack took over the QB1 duties. He had seen limited playing time all season long, so when the time came, Indiana’s defense literally ran him over. He threw two incomplete passes and was sacked, following which Alabama was forced to punt.

Kalen DeBoer on Ty Simpson’s injury

Alabama was unable to mount a comeback against the Hoosiers. They never reached the endzone, losing 3-38. At the post-game conference, the air felt heavy following the loss. Seated before the press, Kalen DeBoer touched upon his decision to bench Ty Simpson.

“Ty Simpson had an injury and really wanted to go out there,” Coach DeBoer stated. “He feels like he let down the team, and there’s no way that’s the case.

He went out there and tried to battle. Austin Mack being ready to go did some nice things out there. But was put in a tough spot. I’m proud of all our team, but that was the situation with Ty.”

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Despite the suffocating loss, he is proud of his team and what they have achieved so far. Bama was struck with adversity ever since its season-opener against Florida State. Yet they mounted a 10-2 comeback. Although their natty hopes fizzled out at Pasadena, the locker room “unbreakable brotherhood” remains strong.