Five Days Away from Bama Kickoff: Andrew Zow
Each day counting down to Alabama's Week 1 matchup with Utah State, I will highlight a former player whose jersey number coincides with the amount of days until the game. The Tide takes the field in only five days, so let's look back at another former Bama quarterback, Andrew Zow.
Andrew Zow suited up for Alabama from 1997-2001 during a tough period in program history. Despite the team's struggles throughout most of his days in Tuscaloosa, Zow was a living highlight and is one of the most memorable quarterbacks to ever take the field in Crimson and White.
A native of Lake Butler, FL, Zow redshirted in his first season with the Tide, but took over as a starter in 1998. Though the team struggled, finishing 7-5, Zow put together a solid year with nearly 2,000 passing yards, a program single-season record at the time.
He entered 1999 as the starter and led the team throughout the first half of the season until an ankle injury opened the door for freshman Tyler Watts. Watts started the next few games for the Tide, leading the team to victories over Southern Miss and LSU, and subsequently kicked off what would become a lengthy quarterback controversy that spanned the rest of Zow's career.
The pair finished out the season as co-starters, guiding the Tide to an SEC title over Florida.
The following spring Zow entered as the apparent starter, but as the season came around, he once more split time with Watts. Zow and the Tide struggled in 2000, with the Lake Butler native throwing 14 interceptions to just six touchdowns and the team finishing a mere 3-8.
In his final year in Tuscaloosa, the once promising freshman split time once again, but took over fully after a Watts injury in Week 8. In the final four games of the season, Zow lead the team to four straight wins and was the player of the game in each.
While his time with the Tide is mostly remembered by the battle between himself and Watts for the starting role, Zow provided Alabama fans with some incredible on-field moments as well.
After leaving Alabama, he joined the coaching ranks where he remains today. He spent several seasons at various high school programs throughout the southeast, and is now an offensive analyst on Dabo Swinney's staff at Clemson.
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