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Alabama passes latest test, throttles Wisconsin as Ty Simpson comes up big

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — If you didn’t know the whole story while watching Alabama’s 38-14 decimation of Wisconsin on Saturday, you’d think the Tide hasn’t missed a beat in its transition out of the Nick Saban era. Quarterback Ty Simpson looked as comfortable in the pocket as he would on a front-porch swing, effortlessly targeting Alabama receivers.

But this is Alabama, where excellence is table stakes. A 24-point win when you’re favored by 20 coming in is simply expected, nothing more. Alabama fulfilled the second half of its home-and-home with Wisconsin following last year’s 42-10 thrashing, and the theatrics involved in this victory might — might — cool Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer’s seat just a touch.

Saturday served as a showcase for Alabama’s best self, an offensive explosion and defensive shutdown that might — again, might — mark the Florida State game as an aberration rather than a harbinger of the Tide’s future.

Simpson was simply spectacular, carving up the Badgers for 382 yards and four touchdowns. When he has room to operate, Simpson can throw a key into a keyhole, and his line gave him all the time he needed to find Alabama’s receivers, all afternoon:

Ryan Williams, the wunderkind of 2024 who’s now an aged 18 years old, returned from a one-game concussion layoff to break off a massive touchdown out of some backfield trickeration on the first play of the second half:

Williams then pulled some sideline magic reminiscent of his TD score against Georgia last year, juking Wisconsin defenders into the shadow realm and running 41 yards for another touchdown.

The Alabama defense smothered Wisconsin, with safety Bray Hubbard snuffing out two drives by himself, snaring two touchdowns that virtually hit him in the numbers:

Wisconsin’s only touchdown through the first three quarters came on an Alabama special-teams breakdown, as the Badgers’ Vinny Anthony II ran back a kickoff to cut the score to 28-7.

The strong across-the-board performance will surely help DeBoer's standing in the eyes of ever-critical Tide fans. DeBoer’s original sin, one that will shadow him unless and until he gets a statue of his own outside the stadium, is the fact that he isn’t Bear Bryant or Saban. Where Bryant wore a fedora on the sidelines, DeBoer sports a crimson baseball cap. Where Saban frothed, stormed and unleashed torrents of obscenities, DeBoer tends to stand stoically, his arms folded across his black Alabama hoodie.

Both those elements of DeBoer's persona — his wardrobe and his demeanor — have drawn the rage of longtime Alabama fans. But even the crustiest old Bryant disciple had to admit that Saturday was an effective demonstration of Alabama's potential.

Whether Alabama's potential is enough to get it back into the playoff conversation is an open question. The Tide's next test will be as tough as it gets — a road trip to Athens to face Georgia in two weeks.

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