Senior ranks No. 1 in USC history for win-percentage
For reasons I have never understood, some people have had negative opinions of Connor Shaw. Throughout his career, I have heard people on campus and around South Carolina say that he runs too much and that he doesn’t make the right decisions.
Is it because people are used to quarterbacks throwing for 300 yards every game and being in the Heisman discussion?
Nevertheless, whenever I heard this, I found myself thinking, “Have you looked at his record as a starter recently?”
Coming into the season, Shaw had compiled a 17-3 record as a starter, a winning percentage that is unmatched in school history.
Now, with 22 wins, he needs just three more to break Todd Ellis’ (1986-89) school record of 24. It’s hard to be mad at that.
Well, I believe we have heard the last criticism of Shaw after his performance Saturday at Missouri.
Down 17-0 with around six minutes to go in the third quarter, Shaw entered a game he wasn’t even supposed to play in. In less than a half of football, he completed 20-29 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns, leading his team to an impressive comeback win in double overtime.
The senior from Flowery Branch, Ga., displays a toughness that rubs off on other players.
And he isn’t reckless; he displays good judgment, instead of slinging the ball all over the place with no concern for turnovers.
He has thrown just one interception on the year and had 177 pass attempts between interceptions.
Shaw holds the school record in winning percentage (.815), completion percentage (66.1) and set another for completing 20 consecutive passes in a 31-10 win over Missouri last year. He is also just the second player in school history to pass for over 3,000 yards in a career; he has also rushed for over 1,000. In addition, he has only thrown 16 interceptions in his career.
To put that in perspective, Ellis threw 73 interceptions over his four-year career.
All of this adds up to say that Shaw is the best quarterback South Carolina has ever had.
He is one of the main contributors to the Gamecocks’ success over the last three years. During the two 11-win seasons in which he was the starting quarterback, Shaw threw 31 touchdowns to just 13 interceptions in 26 games.
The football program has reached unprecedented heights and Shaw has played a big role in that. Signal callers such as Ellis and Steve Taneyhill have indeed left their mark on Gamecock history, and Ellis, who is the voice of Gamecock radio, is still leaving his mark on the program.
However, I believe that Shaw’s success on the field is unmatched.
Unfortunately, it won’t be until after Shaw leaves campus that people will finally understand what he meant to the program.