Alabama football aggressively flipped another switch on Vanderbilt in the second half. Shedding some first half struggles in the process — plus showing Kalen DeBoer's trust level with Ty Simpson.

Simpson let the ball rip on the Commodores, hitting three completions of 20+ yards in the second half. His arm helped ignite 16 unanswered points to beat Vandy 30-14.

Alabama even put together one long 92-yard drive to start the second quarter. Simpson hit Ryan Williams on a 14-yard strike for Alabama's first touchdown. The QB even faked a pitch and evaded a rusher to find his wide receiver.

One of the last Nick Saban recruits needed to wait his turn for QB1 duties in Tuscaloosa. Now Simpson is hearing Heisman Trophy chatter. While also clearly realizing his head coach has increased trust in him.

Kalen DeBoer sounds off on ‘aggressive' Ty Simpson, Alabama

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer watches from the sidelines during the second quarter against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
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The now second-year head coach shared via Chase Goodbread of Tuscaloosa News what he saw during one critical drive: The long one that started Alabama's scoring.

“We're aggressive. Backed up in our own territory, we're throwing the ball down the field with play-action. When you trust your QB as a play-caller, there's a lot of confidence there,” DeBoer bluntly said.

Simpson attacked Vanderbilt's Cover 2 look on the Germie Bernard 27-yard touchdown catch. He looked poised while his QB counterpart Diego Pavia looked uncomfortable facing a barrage of Alabama pressure. Simpson himself is feeling confidence flowing through his veins, thanks to earning his teammates' trust.

“I think their confidence in me comes from me having confidence in them,” Simpson told reporters. “That’s kind of the reason why I stayed.”

Simpson hit 23-of-31 passing for 340 yards and the two touchdowns. He got picked off once, but kept Alabama in the early conversation for both the Southeastern Conference title game and College Football Playoffs.