Why Did Austin Mack Play so Early in ULM Blowout?

TUSCALOOSA, AL. - The Crimson Tide secured a big victory over ULM in week two of the season. Starting quarterback Ty Simpson completed 17 of 17 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns in Alabama's 73-0 win over the ULM Warhawks.

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With nine minutes and change left in the second quarter, Alabama made a quarterback swap. Ty Simpson took a seat on the sideline, and backup quarterback Austin Mack stepped in for the Crimson Tide.

Mack looked good in his first action of the 2025 season, throwing three passes for 31 yards and a touchdown to freshman tight end Kaleb Edwards.

Simpson returned the game on the next drive, throwing a touchdown to Isaiah Horton, which poses the question: Why did Austin Mack play in the second quarter, then return to the bench until the second half?

"It was just something we wanted to do. It wouldn't have mattered this week, next week, who we're playing," head coach Kalen DeBoer said. "We just really got with the quarterbacks on Monday, and we shared with them we want to get Austin in for a series. We want to be really intentional.

"There's a lot of competition going on at all spots. I loved what that brought out in all of those guys. I think it brought out another level of work. They stayed the course, and it started with those guys. We just let them know, and I thought Austin had a good week of practice. Ty had a great week of practice - especially as the week went on. And just it was good to see Keelon get out there, too."

DeBoer was complimentary of Ty Simpson's performance, 17-17 for 226 yards and four total touchdowns.

"Ty doing what he did, I just thought that the game was slower for him," DeBoer said. "He was just able to go through progressions that first week to second week, that's what you needed to see. That's what you really needed to see out of Ty. I'm proud of how he went to work. There's some times when he scrambled this week where it just felt like he had it under control. Saw the field, knew where guys were at, understood the situation, and then made the throw. To get completions like that - 17-for-17 - the guys got to make the catch, too. They got to make those plays. Just focused on making the fundamental play, and then I thought a lot of guys then made explosives after the catch, but they didn't get ahead of themselves. They just, again, game was slower for a lot of them."

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.