Alabama football countdown to kickoff: 97 days

If you can believe it, we are officially under the 100-day mark until Alabama is back on a live-game football field. After coming up short in the national championship game against Georgia back in January, the Crimson Tide will once again be searching for its seventh title under Nick Saban.

This year’s season opener will be against the Utah State Aggies on Sept. 3 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. With today being May 29, that means we are only 97 days away from the return of Alabama football. The team here at BamaOn3 is ready to celebrate every day of the countdown standing between now and then.

With opening week 97 days away, let’s focus on a player — both past and present — who has represented that number.

*Note: BamaOn3 is also doing a Countdown to Fall Camp, which is only 68 days away.

Who currently wears the No. 97?

As of right now, there are two players wearing the No. 97 for Alabama. The first is placekicker Reid Schuback out of Poway (Calif.), who’s now going into his second season in Tuscaloosa. The other is defensive lineman Khurtiss Perry, a four-star defensive lineman out of Montgomery (Ala.) Pike Road.

Perry was one of Alabama’s early enrollees this spring.

Other than his participation in the team’s A-Day Game back in April, we didn’t hear much about the 6-foot-2, 264-pound freshman. More than likely, that’s due to all the returning talent Alabama has along its defensive front. In other words, we’re still really high on him.

Despite being undersized, Perry plays with a fantastic motor. He’s a disruptor who lived in the backfield throughout his high school career. I’ll be curious to see how Alabama chooses to utilize him in the future. Will it be as an early-down edge player and interior rusher in obvious passing situations? Or maybe he’ll even play inside full-time.

Either way, he can eventually help put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Who’s a noteworthy former player to wear it?

For newer Alabama fans, an easy answer for this one probably would’ve been Lorenzo Washington. We’ll take it back a bit further though. Arguably the most notable player to ever wear the No. 97 for the Crimson Tide is none other than former linebacker Cornelius Bennett, also known as Biscuit.

Bennett was in Tuscaloosa from 1983 to 1986. If you can believe it, he’s one of only two Crimson Tide players to ever be named to three different All-American teams, which he did in 1984, 85 and 86.For anyone who saw him play, all his accolades were well-deserved.

For his career, he produced 287 tackles and 21 1/2 sacks. In 1986, he won the Lombardi Award (given to the top college lineman or linebacker), as well as being named SEC Player of the Year. Heck, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound defender even finished in the top-10 (No. 7) for the Heisman Trophy.

After a successful college career, Bennett went on to be the No. 2 overall pick to the Indianapolis Colts. Shockingly, the two parties were unable to come to an agreement on a contract, and so the Birmingham native was eventually dealt to the Buffalo Bills as part of a three-team trade.

Bennett would go on to spent nine seasons in Buffalo, racking up 793 tackles, 52.5 sacks and 22 forced fumbles. He then spent three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons and two with the Colts to finish out his career. In his 14 years in the league, Bennett and almost 1,200 tackles to go along with 71.5 sacks.

Legend would be an understatement.

2022 Alabama Football Schedule

Sept. 3 vs. Utah State Aggies (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

Sept. 10 at Texas Longhorns (Austin, Tex.)

Sept. 17 vs. UL-Monroe Warhawks (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

Sept. 24 vs. Vanderbilt Commodores (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

Oct. 1 at Arkansas Razorbacks (Fayetteville, Ark.)

Oct. 8 vs. Texas A&M Aggies (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

Oct. 15 at Tennessee Volunteers (Knoxville, Tenn.)

Oct. 22 vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

Oct. 29 – OPEN WEEK

Nov. 5 at LSU Tigers (Baton Rouge, La.)

Nov. 12 at Ole Miss Rebels (Oxford, Miss.)

Nov. 19 vs. Austin Peay Governors (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

Nov. 26 vs. Auburn Tigers (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

Dec. 3 – SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (Atlanta, Ga.)