So Connor Shaw will play. Or Won’t He?
Last week, not too long after the Gamecocks first game was over, rumors started to spread that Connor Shaw (injured sliding head-first on a two yard run in the first half against Vanderbilt) had good results on his MRI and would certainly play against ECU.
Days later, Spurrier said Shaw could barely lift his arm. He obviously wasn’t practicing. Some took this to mean he had no chance of playing against the Pirates.
Rumors all, but still, after a less than stellar performance against the ‘Dores, SC’s passing game can ill afford to play a game against anyone without its starting QB.
Now, it seems a tossup as to whether or not Shaw will play Saturday.
This next Spurrier quote pretty much explains the situation:
"If he's in pain, he doesn't need to be out there playing" Spurrier said of Shaw. "He thinks he's not going to have any pain by the weekend"
— Darryl Slater (@DarrylSlater) September 4, 2012
So, Spurrier won’t play Shaw if he’s hurting and Shaw doesn’t think he’ll be hurting… So he should play. Maybe.
A shoulder bruise isn’t something that heals overnight, and depending on how deep it is, it might not be something that heals in a week.
As for how Shaw got the injury, Spurrier said Shaw slid the right way and that QBs get injured sliding feet-first, too.
If Shaw does play and he is healthy, he needs to spray the ball all over the field this Saturday; If Carolina doesn’t get its passing game going by the Missouri contest, opposing defenses will stack the box all game and SC won’t win more than seven games.
If Carolina has a healthy quarterback and a more-than-servicable passing attack, the Gamecocks could compete for an SEC Championship.