Alabama’s Week 12 loss (21-23) to Oklahoma didn’t just end their winning streak or put a dent in their playoff hopes. It also derailed the momentum around Ty Simpson’s contention for the Heisman. To make matters worse, the QB1’s two costly plays, in a way, cost them the game.

Ty Simpson has been nearly flawless this season. After the FSU blunder, the QB1 took over the offense and carried Bama across the finishing line despite their poor run game. It helps when you have a great receiving group. However, there has been one issue of late. Simpson’s ball protection has led to some costly fumbles. None bigger than what happened against Oklahoma. CFB analyst Blake Ruffino was particularly critical of Simpson over this.

“Ty Simpson has got to stop fumbling the football. He’s got to stop. Joe, this is four straight games where he’s fumbled the football. Four straight,” he said on the November 16 episode of The Ruffino and Joe Show.

The Sooners’ defense repeatedly forced Simpson into making quick decisions. With his exotic blitz packages, Brent Venables made a dent in the Bama offense early in the game. Oklahoma put five on the line and brought two off the edges on Alabama’s third possession. Simpson faced a free defender running at him and had to make a call. Take the sack or throw it away. He did neither. Instead, the throw went straight to Sooners’ Eli Bowen for a pick-six.

Then again, in the third quarter, Oklahoma blitzed again. This time, it caused a strip sack. At the time, Bama was leading 21-20. Oklahoma got the ball and turned it into a field goal. That was the game-winning field goal.

“It’s not going to get you where you want to go,” Ruffino reminded Simpson. “The number one goal of the offense is not to turn the ball over. He’s got to stop because, look, the interceptions are one thing, and he didn’t have them. So I’m like, “All right, well, you’re having fumbles, but god forbid you have interceptions.”

Fortunately for Alabama fans, they have also seen their QB1 being good. He has led game-winning drives in tough settings. Kalen DeBoer, on his part, is fully behind his quarterback.

Kalen DeBoer’s advice for Ty Simpson

Much like most of us, Kalen DeBoer also felt that Ty Simpson’s glaring mistakes played a huge role in their offense’s struggles. The loss snapped Alabama‘s 17-game home winning streak, with disappointment written all over Deboer’s face as he addressed the media after the loss.

However, he didn’t hesitate to take on the questions about Simpson’s play and his setbacks. “With the pressure they brought, he’s got to get rid of it and be OK with throwing it away. You can only hold on so long, and I feel like with the blitz they had, you’re going to get overwhelmed and outnumbered,” he said.

In an attempt to stay on the field, Simpson made some evident errors. For him, DeBoer had only one advice, “You’ve just got to understand the defense is playing good, too, and you’ve got to live with punting once in a while.” How well did Simpson receive his advice? That is an answer that we will get next week as Alabama takes on the Eastern Illinois Panthers.