"I remember my dad playing them": Ty Simpson recalls memorable childhood story with Peyton Manning before Tennessee bout

Ty Simpson's No. 6 Alabama will kick off against No. 11 Tennessee on Saturday. Besides his early recruitment momentum with Josh Heupel's Volunteers, Simpson also has personal ties and childhood memories linked to Tennessee and its legendary quarterback, Peyton Manning.

Simpson’s father, Jason, has served as the head coach of Tennessee's rival UT-Martin since 2006. Manning had long left Knoxville before Simpson was born, but the Alabama quarterback crossed paths with him at Neyland Stadium in 2010.

“Of course, I grew up watching them (Tennessee),” Simpson said on Tuesday. “My favorite guy was Peyton Manning. I remember my dad playing them — shoot, I guess it would have been Derek Dooley’s first ever game there — they whooped my dad’s tail 50-0.”

That same day provided Simpson with two lasting memories. The first came before kickoff, when he approached Manning on the sideline.

“In pre-game, I walked over there and I asked him, ‘How does it feel to play against your brother in the NFL?’ And I remember it like it was yesterday. “He was like, ‘Man, it’s really hard, but it’s fun’. So that’s one of my favorite memories as a kid, good and bad. But just great to be a part of that.”

The second memory wasn’t as cheerful, as Simpson admitted he cried after the game after failing to realize at the time how FBS teams typically dominated FCS opponents.

Ty Simpson praises Tennessee’s defense ahead of Week 8 game

Alabama will host Tennessee at Bryant-Denny Stadium for the annual Third Saturday in October rivalry, where the Volunteers haven’t claimed a win since 2003. One of Tennessee’s main challenges this season has been its passing defense, allowing the most yards in the conference at 257.8 per game.

When asked Tuesday about any perceived vulnerabilities in the Volunteers’ defense, Ty Simpson had a candid answer.

"I honestly don't think they're vulnerable at all, to be honest with you," Simpson said. "They do a lot. They're good up front. They'll play man. They're physical when they move around. They're fast. I mean, it's just like an SEC defense. “They're going to cause chaos. They're going to blitz. So we got to be on our P's and Q's and we got to be disciplined with everything. Because they're going to bring everything they got at us. We just got to make sure that we make plays.”

Simpson will enter the game completing nearly 71% of his passes, with 1,678 yards, 16 touchdowns and only one interception this season.

Edited by Maliha