Simpson shines as Alabama holds off Missouri
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Ty Simpson threw for 200 yards and three touchdowns, including the clincher on fourth down to Daniel Hill with 3:16 to go, and eighth-ranked Alabama held off No. 14 Missouri 27-24 on Saturday to give the Crimson Tide their fifth consecutive win.
Jam Miller added 85 yards rushing before leaving with an injury in the fourth quarter, and Kevin Riley and Isaiah Horton also had TD catches for Alabama (5-1, 3-0 SEC), which has won seven straight over Missouri dating to Sept. 8, 1975.
Beau Pribula tried to rally the Tigers (5-1, 1-1) late, hitting Donovan Olugbode for a touchdown with 1:39 to go. And after Alabama pounced on the onside kick, Missouri was able to force a quick punt, getting the ball back with 1:17 left and no timeouts.
Pribula connected with Olugbode again on fourth down to get close to midfield, but he followed with a pair of incompletions, then overshot his intended target and was picked off by Alabama defensive back Dijon Lee Jr. to put the game away.
The loss ended the Tigers' 15-game home winning streak, the second-longest nationally.
Pribula finished with 167 yards passing with two touchdowns and two interceptions, and he also was the Tigers' most effective runner with 61 yards and another score. The nation's top rusher, Ahmad Hardy, was held to just 52 yards.
Missouri got off to a good start, seemingly stunning Alabama on its opening drive. It took just six plays to march 78 yards, and Pribula threw a nifty lob to tight end Brett Norfleet down the sideline for a 26-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
Yet the Crimson Tide not only regained their composure, they regained control.
Simpson was nearly perfect on an answering touchdown drive. And after Alabama forced a three-and-out, the junior QB drove the Crimson Tide downfield again, zipping a pass to Horton on third-and-long for a 16-yard touchdown pass and a 14-7 lead.
After each team added a field goal before halftime, Missouri took advantage of Simpson's fumble — his only big mistake — on the first play of the second half. Pribula juked his way into the end zone three plays later to tie the game 17-all.
But after Conor Talty added a go-ahead field goal later in the third quarter for Alabama, the Crimson Tide stopped Missouri on fourth down midway through the fourth quarter, shoving Jamal Roberts out of bounds just shy of the marker; replays appeared to show the running back reaching the ball far enough for a first down, but the spot was upheld by the officials.
Alabama took over and, after Simpson converted on fourth-and-8 with a throw to freshman Lotzeir Brooks, the SEC's top passer found Hill in the end zone on fourth-and-goal from the Missouri 2 with just over 3 minutes remaining.
Alabama wide receiver Derek Meadows appeared to be knocked unconscious by Missouri safety Marvin Burks Jr. in the first quarter. The freshman was trying to leap for a catch when he took a violent blow, which left him laying facedown on the turf for several minutes. He eventually walked off the field with help from trainers. Burks was ejected for targeting.
Alabama showed no letdown after back-to-back wins over Georgia and Vanderbilt in its first trip to Columbia since 2020.
Missouri wrapped up its season-opening homestand by losing at Faurot Field for the first time since Oct. 7, 2023.
Alabama returns home to play No. 12 Tennessee next Saturday.
Missouri plays its first road game against Auburn the same day.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football