Quarterback has career game against UT following disappointing play at Florida; Miles committed to helping team as starter
A second half spent on the bench may have been exactly what junior quarterback Connor Shaw needed.
Just a week after Shaw played so poorly at Florida that coach Steve Spurrier went to sophomore quarterback Dylan Thompson after halftime, Shaw set a career-best with 356 passing yards against Tennessee, throwing three touchdown passes in South Carolina’s 38-35 win.
“Coach John Wooden (said) the coach’s greatest ally is the bench,” Spurrier said. “Connor got benched. He didn’t sit around and mope or pout or cry. He figured out what he needed to do better and worked on it last week and had his best game.”
After fumbling on the Gamecocks’ first possession against the Gators, Shaw was limited to 72 passing yards in the first half and had negative rushing yardage on the day.
He said he worked on being more decisive and passing more quickly in Saturday’s win over Tennessee.
On top of his success passing the ball Saturday, Shaw added 33 yards on the ground, including one rushing touchdown.
“Just because a guy goes to the bench doesn’t mean he’s finished by any means,” Spurrier said. “It means he needs to start playing a little better and play the way the coaches ask him to play. I think going to the bench helped him.”
Shaw has been in a boot this week with a sprained foot, but Spurrier said he should be ready to practice Monday to prepare for USC’s game against Arkansas.
Miles takes on starting job: With junior tailback Marcus Lattimore out for the remainder of the season, redshirt senior Kenny Miles will once again be South Carolina’s starter. He said despite Lattimore’s injury, South Carolina has the pieces in place to finish the season strong and that he will do whatever is needed to help the Gamecocks win.
Being the starter is not a new role for Miles. As a freshman in 2009, he played in all 13 of USC’s games, with seven starts and three contests where he finished with more than 100 rushing yards. But when Lattimore joined the team in 2010, Miles became his backup and started just once.
Asked whether he views it as a good “book end” to end his career the way he began it, Miles emphasized that his focus is on helping the team be successful.
“It’s not a good book if you don’t win at the end,” Miles said. “That’s the main thing we’re focusing on — coming out here and getting ready to win.”
Miles said he is more mature and patient with the running game than he was as a freshman, adding that his receiving game has also improved.
Lattimore’s long road back: Spurrier said in Wednesday’s SEC coaches’ teleconference that Lattimore may need multiple surgeries to rehabilitate the injury in his right knee, which he suffered in the second quarter of Saturday’s win.
But Spurrier added that he hopes the junior tailback will be able to return to the team next season.
“We hope this is something temporary, though it will take some time to get back,” Spurrier said. “He’ll attack this. Doctors can do miracles nowadays putting knees back together. We’re hoping and praying that will occur here real soon.”