South Carolina Football: Checking in on Connor Shaw
by Gamecock Man on Nov 15, 2011 6:50 PM EST
in South Carolina Gamecocks Football
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PrintNow that he's started five straight games and has had a chance to show us what he can do against some decent SEC competition, it's time to check in on the development of our starting QB, Connor Shaw. It seems to be hard for people to talk objectively about Shaw because of the strong feelings a lot of folks have for Stephen Garcia, so I'd like to take a moment to try to provide what I think is an objective view of Shaw.
First, let's briefly look at the key stats. On the season, Shaw has a passer rating of 119. By comparison, that's roughly the same as what Garcia had in 2009, Garcia's RS sophomore year. (Shaw is also a sophomore, although Shaw didn't redshirt.) Shaw is throwing for a high percentage at 62%, but he's throwing for a somewhat pedestrian 5.9 ypa, a number that, you have to remember, would be much, much worse if we took out the Kentucky game. This stat serves as a reminder that the Gamecocks lack a quality downfield passing game right now, and that--along with the lack of TDs--is what keeps Shaw's passer rating from being a bit better.
Where Shaw has really excelled is with his feet. He's currently third on the team with 288 yards rushing; one would imagine that he would have easily broken 500 or 600 yards on the year if he had played all season, which would be pretty good for a QB. That's even more impressive considering that in college, sacks count against rushing totals. Passer rating doesn't count rushing numbers, but if it did, Shaw would probably be in a pretty respectable range.
Continue reading after the jump.
There are a few things that I think Shaw does well. The thing that he's best at is running the zone-read. He makes good reads on these types of plays; as you probably noticed, he and Brandon Wilds had Florida guessing quite a bit last week. He's also fast enough to make tacklers pay if they make a mistake. He's not a very big runner, so you won't get to see him barrel over anybody, particularly right now, when Carolina is being very protective due to depth issues. However, he's tougher than one might expect based on his size.
Passing the ball, one of his biggest strengths appears to be his accuracy. With a few exceptions, I've been impressed with his touch down field. The completion to Ace Sanders this past weekend was a thing of beauty, and the pass to Jason Barnes might have been good, too, if not for a skilled play by the covering corner. Shaw does need to work on adjusting his touch on some of the shorter passes, which will hopefully come with experience.
Shaw's biggest weakness is his decision-making. I was impressed by Shaw's ability to read the defense against Kentucky, but since then, that skill has not been on display. Shaw doesn't force many balls, mind you, which was Garcia's big problem. However, Shaw oftentimes seems to make a single read before taking off running. That's partly the offensive line's fault, and sometimes Shaw even makes a nice gain out of it, but, sometimes, Shaw would be well served to step up in the pocket and see if he can find the short man.
Inevitably, Shaw is going to be compared to Garcia, and that's fair as long as people keep their heads about them. I partially opened by comparing Shaw to 2009 Garcia because, IMO, he's fairly similar--probably slightly better. 2009 Garcia was a bit more of a playmaker, but Shaw is a bit better runner and is less likely to hurt you with interceptions. 2010 Garcia, at least the version that showed up against Auburn, Alabama, Florida, and Clemson, was definitely better than this year's version of Shaw, but Shaw has a lot of time to develop into that caliber of QB. I don't know if Shaw has as much potential as Garcia once had, as Shaw lacks the size, strength, and natural talent, hence his lower ranking in high school. However, a lot of Shaw's current flaws can be addressed with more experience, so he certainly has some upside right now. And the good news for Gamecocks fans is that Shaw has continuously shown that he's precisely the kind of QB to devote himself to bettering his game.
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Shaw
took a beating last week v. uf. He needs to learn to avoid taking the big hits. He also needs to learn to chuck the ball oob and not take a loss. He holds to ball too long when he has time in the pocket. The oline we have doesnt provide him with time for any deep routes, and that may be another problem with him-lack of arm strength although he is very accurate. That being said, he stepped into a terrible situation following Garcia and has lead this team admirably. He does not turn the ball over like Garcia. Garcia cost us many games due to him turning it over. The question is there a better option on the team or in the pipeline, and it is a valid question. But for now I like the kid and all he has done for USC, he is tough one!
Yeah, most of that falls under "decision making," which I pointed out.
Really, it’s mostly just youthful mistakes. Hopefully he can eliminate them over time.
I’ll have to disagree a bit on arm strength. He seems to have enough. That was a bomb he threw to Sanders last weekend. He has some velocity on the short throws, too. Probably not as strong of an arm as Garcia, but Garcia was exceptional in that regard, and Garcia was inaccurate.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Nov 15, 2011 8:11 PM EST up reply actions
Wow! Tanner McEvoy FTFW lol
Braves.
Falcons.
Gamecocks.
McEvoy does have a lot of upside.
Probably more than Shaw. McEvoy is more of a physical specimen. However, the question is whether or not he’s going to be ready by next year.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Nov 16, 2011 1:03 PM EST up reply actions
they were both 3 star recruits, no?
Braves.
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Gamecocks.
Yeah, but McEvoy is bigger and has a stronger arm. He only played QB for one year in HS and has some mechanical issues he has to work out.
If he can do that, the coaches think he may morph into an elite QB. The question is, can he and how long will it take?
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Nov 17, 2011 11:00 AM EST up reply actions
well a good QB is only as good as the O-line
and if we have good pass protection next year, Shaw would probably be perfectly fine making all the throws.
Braves.
Falcons.
Gamecocks.
Seriously, I hope the people voting "Shaw is garbage" are CU or UGA fans.
If not, I only have two things to say: Forget about Garcia, and the people complaining most loudly about the QB are usually the ones that know the least about football.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.
I voted Serviceable.
But I think he’s in between that and doing great. It says a lot that he beat Florida and Tennessee without the services on Lattimore. Through five games he only has 5 Interceptions, Garcia had 4 TD’s and 9 Ints. Compare that with Shaw’s 5 Int’s and 6 TD’s.
Also add in the rushing, bringing Garcia’s 3 rushing TD’s, to a total of 7 TD’s, versus Shaw’s total TD’s of 11(6 throwing, 5 Rushing).
I heard some fans around me on Saturday hating on Connor Shaw. Confused me. He played pretty well. Not perfect, but you get a little more consistency out of him. Also, he seems to need 20 or more attempts to get rolling. Or it could be Spurrier realizes when the pass isn’t working and limits his attempts. Saw similar things with Lattimore. We won every game that Lattimore was able to get 18-20 touches.
The problem is that this offense isn’t effective enough to impose its will on a defense. We can’t always do what we want, when we want. And I blame the O-line for that. With blocking and Lattimore, or even Brandon Wilds, we should be able to run the football. In the Arkansas game I saw Shaw not getting very much time to pass at all. Not worried about Shaw and I see him being the QB in 2012 as long as the O-line protects him.
- FOW
by skandrewj62j on Nov 16, 2011 12:43 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah, that's about where I'd put him. I think he's solid, but he does have some flaws.
Not sure I get where the hate is coming from. Well, I get it. A lot of these people want Garcia back. Just not sure why they would.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Nov 16, 2011 1:03 PM EST up reply actions
Serviceable
Connor is a hard working kid who leaves it all on the field. He’s proven to be a strong runner but I have real doubts about his future development as a passer. His protection has been weak this season but even when he has time Shaw struggles to set his feet in the pocket. When pressured, he always gets flushed to the sidelines instead of stepping up in the pocket. I also take issue with all the comparisons to Stephen Garcia. If we want to take our program to the next level lets benchmark him against the top quarterbacks in the SEC. I for one do not look forward to two more years of games like the one we watched last Saturday. Even the student section was yawning. Maybe he can progress but I’m afraid we’ve seen most of what Connor’s got.
Agreed
With all of your points especially with the hardworking and leaving it on the field, that kid has taken a beating.. He has some happy feet, but with that oline who wouldnt. He is not a true pocket passer of a qb and it shows, he is run first. He also does not have a strong arm, he can not make the out throws like Garcia but at least he does not turn the ball over. I think your point is we need an elite qb when compared to the top qbs in the league, how does he compare to Tyler and others who can chuck it all over the field.
You can bet if another qb steps up and can make all the throws, Spurrier will have not hesitation in replacing Shaw. For now, Shaw is the best option.
by wilmywoodcock on Nov 16, 2011 4:19 PM EST up reply actions
Why don't you think he can improve on these flaws?
I’d probably argue the opposite: I think he has many of the natural talents necessary to be a good QB, and his flaws are all things that can be addressed with good coaching.
The tendency to run is a product of the kind of offense he played in in high school, which was option-based and premised on the QB running the ball. What he has to do now is to unlearn the desire to take off running anytime the pocket bends. It seems to me, though, that that can be done. And he proved against Kentucky that he’s willing to stay in the pocket when he’s getting good protection. Hopefully, next year he’ll get good protection against teams that are better than Kentucky, and if he does, I think he’ll stick in the pocket and sling it around.
As far as not liking the offense we ran last week, all I’ll say is that it was extremely effective in the first half. Screw style points, I say. I just want us to win. No one was complaining when we ran 3/4 downs against Georgia and Florida last year. Why complain now?
Agreed, though, that we should compare him to the better SEC QBs instead of Garcia.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Nov 16, 2011 7:40 PM EST up reply actions
I'd like an All-American at every position too.
I’d also like a flying car.
2010 Garcia was good enough to be preseason All-SEC coming into this year. If Shaw is better in his second year in the program is better than Garcia was in his third (and I think he is), there’s reason to believe we can win big with him. When you consider he’s playing without Lattimore and his best o-lineman, yet has exhibited none of Garcia’s chronic “what the heck?” tendencies, there is even more reason for cautious optimism.
"Lattimore, as the kids can say, can ball, and sometimes does it to the extent one might say [he] is out of control in his balling." - Spencer Hall
by GwinnettGamecock on Nov 16, 2011 8:34 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Agreed. Good post.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Nov 16, 2011 9:22 PM EST up reply actions
So, jumping in midseason, midweek
to take over as QB of a first place team, and then going 4-1 with the only loss coming to ARK is not good enough? He’s shown that he can make throws, both mid range and long range like the near 50yd bomb to Ace. Maybe he doesn’t have the strongest arm, but I think its hardly fair to say this is the best that he’s going to be. I’m not a Shaw loyalist, if someone shows that he can be better this offseason, I’ll be all for him. But give the kid a chance to prepare this offseason…
Braves.
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Competition breeds...
I’d like nothing better than to see Shaw and McEvoy battle for the position. Both would be better for it and the level of performance would be exciting to watch. Coach would be a happy man.
I voted for Shaw doing great.
He knows how to manage the offense, and the throws will come. With Garcia at QB, without Lattimore it was game over last year. Well, that is a rather crude comparison, but the bottom line is Shaw is winning without Lattimore, and does not beat himself as often. He also runs better and knows how to manage the zone read offense. I think he’s doing fine.
Braves.
Falcons.
Gamecocks.
As an outsider, it seems like Shaw is solid but has limited upside.
Garcia was streaky, but – at his manic best – he could flat out beat you. Shaw isn’t scary like that (to my eye), but he also seems less likely to lose a game than Garcia and his derp. With a solid running game and a defense you trust, you don’t need a world-beater back there.
Yeah, I think this is reasonable.
Garcia had all the upside in the world, and he showed it a few times. Unfortunately, his good performances were pretty rare, and he cost us a couple of games we could have easily won. Not sure if Shaw has quite the same potential, but I do think he’ll end up being much more consistent.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Nov 17, 2011 1:28 PM EST up reply actions
Spurrier
Everyone here knows damn well that Spurrier will replace Shaw if someone else comes along. I don’t think anyone with any common sense can knock the kid for playing his heart out and winning, and that is the key winning. I and others who may have some issues with Shaw are pointing out the obvious, not bashing the guy. The kid is a winner but with some limitations and not much upside as some have pointed out. The 50 yard bomb as some alluded to was a 30 yard touch pass, highly accurate, dropped down the chimney. I am not sure he can throw darts around the field even if he had a decent oline, but so what, not many in college can but a select few, and yes I would like an All American at every position!
The poll is flawed in the choices, I think he is somewhere between servicable and great, but great he aint but neither was Mike Hold, he was just a winner.
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