Published October 8, 2012 - 11:28am
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I’ll admit it. Connor Shaw just didn’t do it for me. His 12-1 record as a starter entering Saturday night’s showdown against #5 Georgia somehow just wasn’t good enough for me. Am I crazy? I certainly have been a serious skeptic since he took over for Stephen Garcia, starting with his four-touchdown performance in his very first game against Kentucky last season. I’ve been a big fan of his play-making ability and attitude for a while but did not believe he could win big games or lead a team to a championship…or maybe it was because Shaw wore a glove on his throwing hand and didn’t throw with the laces (seriously!).
“If you take away Connor Shaw’s ability to scramble on plays that breakdown, you beat South Carolina”, and it made sense in my mind and seemed easy enough. It’s so simple that no one has done it yet, outside of Arkansas circa 2011.
He’s the second leading rusher on the team, with 64 carries for 281 yards and one touchdown, and the lone touchdown came Saturday against Georgia. Lost in those meaningless stats are the times Shaw has picked up first downs and moved the chains with a simple six-yard scramble on third down. You almost begin to take it for granted.
Whether it’s the whole idea of South Carolina being dominant in the SEC East, a league the Gamecocks had struggled mightily before Steve Spurrier took over in 2005, or whether it’s Spurrier winning with a zone-read offense totally different from his 90’s game plan, I couldn’t bring myself to believe the fact that Connor Shaw was a championship quarterback.
Now, 13-1 as a starter and after a blowout of the #5 team, I’m ready to face my doubts and skepticism of one of the most improved and toughest players in the SEC. All of Shaw’s wins truly haven’t been pretty, but rarely anything in this league is pretty.
Yeah, I realize South Carolina ran the football 51 times and threw only 10 passes against Georgia. But Shaw came out and looked fantastic and was not rattled by the big stage. That’s just another game for the calm and focused Shaw, and it was over in the first quarter. He finished 6 of 10 for 162 yards and two touchdowns through the air and added one on the ground. He didn’t have to throw over 10 passes because Georgia laid down.
But how good is Connor Shaw really? It’s telling that one of the best offensive minds and head coaches of our lifetime has totally changed his mentality of airing it out to fit Shaw’s game. Does that say more about Spurrier or Shaw?
Spurrier of the 90’s would have benched Shaw for Dylan Thompson, Shaw’s backup who has played very well in his absence. Thompson got his first start against East Carolina when Shaw was injured and connected on 21 of 37 passes for 330 yards and three touchdowns. That’s a Spurrier quarterback. Shaw hasn’t thrown for 330 yards in a game in his career. Shaw started the next game against UAB and reinjured his shoulder. Thompson once again came in and shined, throwing for two touchdowns. Many ill-advised fans and even bigger skeptics of Shaw called for a quarterback controversy. And while I wasn’t buying any kind of controversy, Spurrier let it be known Shaw was his quarterback.
“Connor Shaw was throwing the ball around very well” Monday night, Spurrier said. “He’ll start. He’s fine. If there’s a place for Dylan to come in the game and help us try to beat Missouri, we’ll certainly consider that.”
Shaw is Spurrier’s guy, a son of a coach who just gets it. He’s a winner; he’s the ultimate throwback player for Spurrier’s new-age game plan consumed with one thing – winning.
Shaw doesn’t care about hairline fractures; he doesn’t care about bruises or ice baths on Sunday mornings; he doesn’t care that his coach can be the biggest pain in the ass coach on the practice field on any given day; he obviously doesn’t care if he throws for 80 yards but wins the football game. Shaw has done that several times.
Shaw, in fact, returned against Missouri, connecting on 20 straight passes and two touchdowns, surgically dismantling the Tigers’ hopes of getting their first SEC win on the road.
His coaches believe in him. His teammates believe in him. And I’m certainly coming around. How did it take me this long?!
He’s the type of quarterback that makes opponents’ fans pound the coffee table because he’s a 6-1, 207-pound quarterback playing like he’s 6-5, 240 pounds dismantling teams’ dreams of SEC and national championships. And it’s usually not pretty while it’s happening, and that’s what makes them so angry.
“He can’t do this to our team.” That’s what I heard a Georgia fan tell me before Saturday night. “Our defense is just too fast and will hit Shaw on his scrambles.” I’m not sure they even touched him. He ran for 78 yards on the defense that was supposed to be “too fast”.
Besides Spurrier, the biggest thing going for Shaw is Marcus Lattimore’s health. Combined, they are a nasty duo and tandem. Lattimore eats up tough yardage against nasty defenses, letting Shaw pull out the zone-read handoff for eight yards on any carry. We saw against Georgia how devastating play action can be. They work so well together, and Spurrier has the pieces set for his ground-and-pound offense.
So, Shaw will continue to go out and be the facilitator of the offense. He’s going to throw to his receivers and tight ends for minimal gains. He’s going to turn around and hand it off to Lattimore 20-plus times per game. And yes, he’s still going to run.
Shaw won me over with all the right ingredients – make plays when it matters, win games, and leads his team with his toughness. Shaw’s record speaks for itself at 13-1. After his injury against Vanderbilt, Shaw returned in the second half and willed his team to a 17-13 win. They fed off his toughness. Shaw takes a lick and gets right back into the huddle early 90’s style. That’s what I love and have always loved about him. But I’m a believer now.
So, if you’re a head coach heading into a road game in Baton Rouge against LSU, which quarterback in the SEC do you want starting for you? Aaron Murray? Nah. Tyler Bray? No way. Tyler Wilson? Maybe. Jeff Driskel? Maybe. AJ McCarron? Probably. Connor Shaw? Definitely. Outside of McCarron, I’m not sure I would want another quarterback leading my team in a hostile environment.
What’s it going to take for Shaw to win you over?
I will admit I doubted him too…and he still isnt exactly a proloific passer but he and spurrier combined to destroy us…no excuses. We were completely lost…very frustrating to see our lack of discipline on the edges and inability to even put a hat on him.
I have to agree. The next two weeks will tell us a lot about Connor Shaw. Brutal stretch.
Well Florida Dawg…. what more does a UGA fan need to see after that ass whooping? Are you still doubting?
Ignorance must be bliss for you. All he was trying to say was that we will really know just how good of a quarterback he is if S.Car can come through the next two weeks unscathed.
I have to admit that I doubted him as well. Definitely put a hurting on Georgia this past weekend and they are going to have to play like that for the next two weeks. If they do that I dont see why they cant go all the way and he will definitely be up there with some of the greats.
I was more than a sceptic…I knew Shaw didn’t have the skill level to take us to the next level….last night proved it…big time
Our strength and conditioning coach last year always wore a shirt that read “beast mode”. Him and Shaw made a deal last year that if he beat Clemsux (who he dismantled) that he would get the shirt. Since then Connor wears this shirt every gameday. The kid is a silent killer, and has the confidence to back it up.
Glad you finally came around to understanding what Carolina fans have known all along. Shaw is a Warrior on the field and showed Saturday night to the rest of the country that he can beat you with his arm and his feet.
As it’s been said many times over, it’s not quite his ability..but the ‘can do’ attitude that…well…really does get it done!
I’m still a skeptic of Connor Shaw. Always have been and always will be. He runs a great zone-read option game, but that’s all he’s got. Marcus Lattimore makes him what he is, and teams have to respect Lattimore in the running game. Therefore, Shaw will get his carries. He beat the Gators pulling his little running stunts last year. This year, it’s going to be a totally different story. Jeff Driskel throws for 65 yards per game and looks better doing it.
Shaw has been the most efficient passer in the SEC? He is 41 – 49 for 459 yards 6 TD and no INT in the past three games.
It really is about time Carolina is getting our respect.