Kirby Smart Explains What Makes Ty Simpson So Difficult to Defend

 

 

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart knows elite quarterbacks when he sees one, and on Saturday night, he got a front-row seat to watch Ty Simpson at his best.. Alabama’s quarterback delivered a poised, precise, and dynamic performance that kept Georgia’s vaunted defense on its heels for much of the game. After the contest, Smart was candid in his assessment of what makes Simpson such a tough matchup for any defense.

 

“Ty’s ability to extend plays is probably the number one thing that stands out,” Smart told reporters during his postgame press conference. “You can do everything right for two or three seconds, but if you don’t get him on the ground, he turns those broken plays into explosive ones. That stresses a defense more than most people realize.”

 

Simpson’s dual-threat ability was on full display against Georgia, as he kept several drives alive with scrambles and perfectly timed throws on the run. Smart noted that his defense had prepared all week to contain Simpson’s legs, but seeing it in real time was a different challenge. “We worked on keeping him in the pocket, and at times we did that well,” Smart said. “But he’s just slippery — he has a knack for knowing when to take off, and he doesn’t take unnecessary hits. That’s what makes him such a smart player.”

 

Beyond his athleticism, Smart also praised Simpson’s football IQ. The Alabama quarterback has shown rapid growth in reading defenses, adjusting protections, and finding mismatches pre-snap. “He processes things quickly,” Smart said. “You disguise a coverage, and he figures it out before the ball is even snapped. That makes him very difficult to fool.”

 

Georgia’s defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann echoed that sentiment, adding that Simpson’s decisiveness kept the Bulldogs from pinning their ears back. “When you face a quarterback who gets the ball out fast and knows where he’s going, your blitz packages lose some of their bite,” Schumann explained. “He forced us to play more conservatively than we wanted to.”

 

Smart also highlighted Simpson’s leadership qualities, pointing out how the Alabama sideline seemed energized whenever their quarterback made a big play. “You can tell the team believes in him,” Smart said. “That kind of confidence is contagious. It makes it harder on an opponent because momentum swings their way quickly.”

 

Despite the loss, Smart was gracious in giving Simpson his due, calling him “one of the most complete quarterbacks we’ve faced this season.” The Georgia coach emphasized that his team would learn from the matchup and use it as fuel for the rest of the year. “When you face a guy like that, it makes you better,” Smart concluded. “We’ll look at the tape, figure out where we can improve, and hopefully be more prepared next time.”

 

Simpson’s performance — and Smart’s glowing review — solidify the notion that the young Alabama quarterback is emerging as one of the SEC’s most dangerous weapons. If he continues to grow at this pace, future defenses may find him just as difficult to contain as Georgia did on Saturday night.