Garcia should be starter for myriad of reasons
But still.
Wow.
He actually did it.
Shaw, not Stephen Garcia, will start at quarterback for South Carolina on Saturday against East Carolina at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
The sophomore with 33 career pass attempts is going to take the first offensive snap of the most anticipated season in Gamecock history. Not the fifth-year senior who has started the last 28 games, led his team to its first division title and win over a top-ranked team in school history, beat Clemson in consecutive years for the first time since the Nixon Administration and is in position to capture almost every major school passing record.
Maybe I'm missing something. Maybe this is some predetermined slap on the wrist that is the final condition of Garcia's reinstatement from his fifth suspension.
Maybe this is Spurrier's ingenious plan to screw with Georgia and its defensive coaching staff heading into the de facto SEC East championship game next weekend.
Maybe this is some feel-good story straight out of a 1970s after-school special about Shaw working hard and being rewarded.
I doubt it though. No, the decision to start Shaw over Garcia is just a dumb, head-scratching ploy that could submarine what should be the greatest fall in program history.
This isn't a knock against Shaw. The Flowery Branch, Ga., native has a bright future. And he's made major strides this summer. To be completely honest, during the spring I thought redshirt freshman Dylan Thompson or incoming freshman Tanner McEvoy would eventually leapfrog Shaw and become the starter in 2012 once Garcia left town. I no longer think that. Shaw will be USC's starter as a junior and senior.
But as a sophomore, the time isn't right.
Has Garcia been a knucklehead? Yes. Has he contributed to losses? Yes. Has his work ethic and questionable decision making infuriated Spurrier at times? Yes.
But warts and all, Garcia is the best quarterback USC has, summer scrimmage stats be darned. And he's the best chance the Gamecocks have to win with the frequency and magnitude they are capable of this season.
To bench him, especially after all Garcia has done for the program and the manner in which he has turned around his life according to Spurrier and everyone else around the team, is short-sighted at best, cruel at worst.
You have to wonder what Spurrier's decision means for his team as a whole. They support Shaw, but there are a lot of players, and very important ones, who love Garcia. They went to bat for him on Twitter and Facebook after he was suspended and helped convince him to stay at USC and finish his career a Gamecock. What are they thinking now that the warrior they rallied around isn't going to be out there?
It boggles my mind that Spurrier would make such a decision right now, on the threshold of potential history. There is no reward involved, only colossal risk. A single down of football hasn't been played yet, and already USC's season feels as if it is on the brink. It just doesn't make sense.
Can USC beat East Carolina with Shaw starting? Yes. The Gamecocks could go up and down the field with Tommy Beecher, who hopefully had a glass of champagne now that he is no longer the most infamous opening night starter of Spurrier's tenure, against the Pirates' horrid defense.
But can they beat Georgia in Athens with Shaw starting? I don't know. However, I doubt we'll ever find out.
I have a feeling Shaw will play the first quarter against the Pirates, and play well.
Then the second quarter will come, and Garcia will enter the game. He won't leave.
Garcia will be a man possessed Saturday night. He will make good decisions. He will deliver pinpoint throws. He will lead. He will win his job back.
And, by the end of the night, he will have righted a wrong decision.