Everything is all set up for Connor Shaw

No matter which faction you put yourself as a Gamecock fan, you have to like and be pulling for Connor Shaw.  And no, that is not the norm in Columbia.  Is there a starting QB in Columbia who has been talked about less than #14?  When you’re talking about our insanely bitter, negative and divided fan base, that’s a good thing.

What a strange year this is so far and all of it has provided the perfect situation for such an anonymous signal caller.  If Carolina has a big finish, only loses one more (maybe in Fayetteville), wins the East, pulls another “Omaha” on Clemson and gets to 10 or more wins, Shaw will deservedly get the credit for taking over an apparent mess and leading us home.  If not and things go sour, all the turmoil over Stephen Garcia’s dismissal, Ron Morris and Marcus Lattimore’s injury will be blamed, as they should be.  

This is vintage Carolina!  We actually have that rarest of situations where the one person that CANNOT lose is our starting quarterback.  And why not?  By all accounts this is a very nice kid who works hard and is from a good family.  He looks the part of the likeable, quiet hero in the white hat.    

His first home start (he technically started the neutral site ECU game) was against a very bad defense and he looked great.  His first road start was a logical step up in difficulty.  Miss. State was not an easy situation by any stretch but it wasn’t Baton Rouge either and he was able to maneuver through and get the win.  Now we go to Knoxville.  Again, not an easy setting at all but not exactly Tuscaloosa.  If we do win, and I am predicting we will, think about where the Gamecocks will be through 2/3 of the season:  7-1, near the Top 10, and 3-0 on the road in the SEC!  

And remember that while Shaw has been quietly going about his business, getting better and earning these wins, all of the recent drama and turmoil over Spurrier and Morris has been dominating the media.  Most folks think that the Morris incident was done on purpose to deflect away from the Garcia dismissal.  I think Spurrier was actually wanting to keep everyone from focusing on Connor.  Intentional or accidental, that is how things have played out in 2011. 

Here’s to hoping that it all works out for you Connor.  It’s your team now and you have nothing but good will and almost unanimous fan support behind you.  Even the most “negative” Carolina fans I tailgate with seem to be going out of their way to find positive things to say about you.  Enjoy it while you can.  As we have seen many times, it doesn’t last that way forever for a Gamecock quarterback.