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NCAA Football South Carolina Gamecocks

South Carolina’s Connor Shaw Shows NFL Potential Against Clemson Tigers

By

Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

The South Carolina Gamecocks defeated the Clemson Tigers 31-17 in a game that saw the Gamecocks simply outplay the Tigers in the fourth quarter. One of the major factors in their victory was the efficiency of senior quarterback Connor Shaw.

Shaw isn’t going to wow you with numbers; he’s not like a lot of SEC quarterbacks. He doesn’t have the great arm of Zach Mettenberger, the explosive speed of Johnny Manziel, the accuracy of A.J. McCarron or even the all-around ability of Aaron Murray. However, he’s efficient and doesn’t make mistakes, which is something that goes a long way in the NFL.

This season, Shaw has thrown one interception. Let me repeat that: Shaw threw only one interception in the SEC, the most difficult conference in the entire country. That interception came in their loss to the Tennessee Volunteers, who have one of the better pass defenses in the SEC despite having a losing record. His one interception is eight less than Murray, seven less than Mettenberger, four less than McCarron and 13 less than Manziel.

South Carolina is going to play defense and run the ball, the same method that a lot of NFL teams employ. Shaw has proven that he can thrive in this sort of setup and will be a steal in the 2014 NFL Draft.

He may not be the most anticipated entry into the 2014 NFL Draft, but he’s one player that every NFL team needs to take a look at. Shaw has taken a backseat to other SEC quarterbacks all season long, but he’ll be in the spotlight when he’s playing on Sundays.

Taylor Sturm is an SEC Basketball Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS or add him to your network on Google. 

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