Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson said he cracked a rib in the first half of the Crimson Tide’s 38-3 College Football Playoff quarterfinal loss to Indiana in the Rose Bowl at Pasadena, Calif., on Thursday.

The hit came when Simpson was drilled by Indiana’s D’Angelo Ponds while scrambling for a first down late in the second quarter, a run that ended in a fumble recovered by the Hoosiers.

“Felt like I had a good thing going on that drive when I got hit,” Simpson said. “It kind of changed the momentum for sure. … The competitor in me wanted to make sure I got the first down. Got more than the first down, and then should have been smart and just got down.”

Simpson said an X-ray at halftime confirmed the injury. He returned to start the second half but quickly opted to yield to backup Austin Mack after one series.

“I made an executive decision and thought (about) what gave us the best chance to win,” Simpson said. “I thought Austin being 100% could help us win.”

Simpson finished 12 of 16 for 67 yards. Mack, a sophomore, went 11 of 16 for 103 yards and led the Crimson Tide to their only points with a third-quarter field goal.

“(Simpson) went out there and tried to battle, and that’s who he is,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. “There’s no way he let us down.”

Simpson finished his junior season completing 305 of 473 passes (64.5%) for 3,567 yards with 28 touchdowns and five interceptions while guiding Alabama to an 11-4 record.

–Field Level Media