“We Can’t Have These Shenanigans” — Ryan Grubb Issues Brutal Ultimatum to Ty Simpson Ahead of Rose Bowl Clash with No. 1 Indiana
The honeymoon phase of Alabama’s resilient playoff comeback in Norman is officially over. As the No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide prepare to board a flight for Pasadena to face the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers in the Rose Bowl, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is making one thing crystal clear: the “slow starts” that have plagued the Tide this season are a luxury they can no longer afford.
In a week defined by high-stakes preparation, Grubb has seemingly gone “scorched earth” on the offensive lapses that nearly derailed Alabama’s season. Speaking to the media before the team’s final local practice, Grubb addressed the team’s tendency to sleepwalk through the opening 15 minutes of play—a trend he has labeled as “shenanigans.”
Stopping the First-Quarter “Shenanigans”
Alabama’s path to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals has been a roller coaster. While the Tide showcased incredible grit by rallying from a 17–0 deficit to defeat Oklahoma in the first round, the fact that they were down by nearly three scores in the first place is what keeps Ryan Grubb up at night.
“We gotta get started earlier,” Grubb said, his tone sharp and uncompromising. “We gotta stop doing this first-quarter shenanigans, waiting to get the run game going until the second and third quarter. We’re capable of doing it earlier in the game. We’ve got good enough players. The scheme’s there.”
For an offense that once defined “physicality” under the Nick Saban era, the 2025 iteration under Grubb and Kalen DeBoer has struggled with identity at the point of attack. Grubb pointed to the SEC Championship loss to Georgia—where Alabama finished with negative rushing yardage—as the ultimate red flag. Against a top-seeded Indiana defense that ranks No. 3 nationally in rushing defense (allowing just 2.89 yards per carry), Grubb knows that another slow start will be a death sentence.
The Message to Ty Simpson: “Be Yourself, Or Else”
At the center of this offensive storm is quarterback Ty Simpson. After a regular season defined by Heisman-level flashes mixed with costly turnovers, Simpson enters the Rose Bowl as the most scrutinized player in the country.
Grubb’s message to his signal-caller has been a mix of a protective shield and a public challenge. While Grubb praised Simpson’s “all-time best” resiliency during the Oklahoma comeback, he also admitted to a “mistake” in his own coaching approach earlier in the year—specifically, not pushing Simpson enough to “let it rip” from the opening whistle.
“I’ve told Ty: don’t change anything, but don’t pass on your number one read,” Grubb explained. “I think sometimes when you get down in a football game, there can be that ‘I want to make the big throw every time’ mentality. My mistake was not instilling that progression discipline earlier in the high-pressure environments. We’ve shored that up. Ty knows he has to be a ‘two-handed monster’ in the pocket and get the ball out.”
The “shenanigans” Grubb is vowing to end aren’t just about the play-calling; they are about the mental intensity of the quarterback. He has challenged Simpson to find his “room temperature” composure—a trait Grubb famously admired in Geno Smith—to ensure that the fiery competitor doesn’t become his own worst enemy under the Rose Bowl lights.
The No. 1 Hoosiers Are Waiting
The narrative surrounding this game is one for the ages: the blueblood Alabama program, with 16 national titles, playing the role of the underdog against the 13–0 Indiana Hoosiers. Led by Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza and coach Curt Cignetti, Indiana represents the most physical and disciplined challenge Alabama has seen all year.
Grubb is well aware that the Hoosiers thrive on the very mistakes Alabama has made a habit of committing. “Complacency kills,” Indiana’s social media accounts blared this week, and Grubb seems to be echoing that sentiment in Tuscaloosa.
“The No. 1 Hoosiers are waiting… and we’re done playing games,” Grubb said. “If we’re only focused on the outcome and the noise, we’ve already lost. We need to focus on the physical strain required from the first snap. These guys are up for the challenge, but the shenanigans have to stop now.”
The Final Word
As Alabama heads to the “Granddaddy of Them All,” the pressure is squarely on the offense. The defense, led by Kane Wommack, has proven it can keep the Tide in games, but the 35–38 and 23–21 scores of the past indicate that the offense is walking on a razor’s edge.
Ryan Grubb has drawn a line in the sand. He has called out the mistakes, owned his coaching errors, and laid the gauntlet down for Ty Simpson. In Pasadena, we will find out if the Tide has finally grown up, or if the “shenanigans” of the first quarter will finally bring the DeBoer era’s first playoff run to a crashing halt.
The clock is ticking. The watch is on. And for Ryan Grubb, the time for “playing games” is officially over.
