Alabama’s quarterback situation somehow became even more muddled Saturday.
Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban benched sophomore QB Tyler Buchner late in the first half against South Florida, after the Tide had scored only three points as halftime neared.
The No. 10 Tide turned the helm over to redshirt freshman Ty Simpson. They had no choice, really. Buchner started 5-of-14 for 34 yards against the Bulls, who won exactly one game last season.
Buchner was making his first start of the season, replacing Jalen Milroe, who started the first two games. Milroe struggled mightily in his second game, barely completing half his passes and tossing two interceptions in a loss to Texas.
So if you’re keeping score at home, that’s three quarterbacks for the Tide in just three games. At this rate, Saban will be scouring the school’s intramural leagues to find more signal-callers within a few weeks.
By the way, Alabama does list a fourth quarterback on its roster, freshman Dylan Lonergan. Surely Saban wouldn’t go there, would he? At least not yet.
Simpson didn’t fare any better than Buchner immediately after entering the game, facing relentless pressure. As many fans pointed out, this might not be a QB problem, but an O-line issue.
Alabama fans were not happy with the decision to start Buchner, and while they agreed Simpson deserved a shot given the anemic offense in the first half, no one is ready to anoint this as the Ty Simpson era of Crimson Tide football. Some think Milroe might still be the best option.
https://twitter.com/codykirk22/status/1703166792418377840
Tyler Buchner struggling against SOUTH FLORIDA?!?!
F it, im going in pic.twitter.com/PmS3S2JRZF
— MattBeGreat (@mattbegreatyt) September 16, 2023