On his 34th birthday, South Carolina’s all-time great quarterback Connor Shaw is in the hospital after collapsing earlier this week while attending his son’s football game. Reports indicate he is awake, stable, and responsive as his recovery continues.
Gamecock Nation has rallied behind Shaw, sending thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes during this difficult week. His importance to the program and the fan base has been reflected in the outpouring of support.
Shaw’s birthday, September 19th, also happens to fall on the eve of the Mayor’s Cup. His alma mater will face Missouri on Saturday, a team Shaw beat twice during his memorable career wearing No. 14 for the Gamecocks.
The second matchup against Missouri turned into one of the most iconic moments in South Carolina football history. Dubbed the “Miracle in Missouri,” Connor Shaw delivered a legendary performance, orchestrating a comeback for the ages on the road in “the other Columbia.”
As South Carolina and Missouri prepare to clash again this Saturday, it feels fitting to revisit that unforgettable night 12 years ago a magical performance forever remembered as one of the greatest moments in Gamecock football history.
In 2013, South Carolina and Missouri were both among the SEC’s elite, setting the stage for a pivotal late-October clash as the season shifted toward November. The matchup carried national intrigue with two ranked teams meeting under the lights.
Missouri entered the game as one of the year’s biggest surprises. At 7-0 and ranked No. 5 in the nation, Gary Pinkel’s squad leaned on a dominant defense and the unexpected emergence of backup-turned-starter Maty Mauk at quarterback, fueling lofty expectations in Columbia.
Ranked No. 20 at the time, South Carolina made its first-ever trip to Faurot Field to face Missouri. The Gamecocks entered with a 5-2 record, still stinging from a tough, last-minute road loss to Tennessee the week before.
Against Tennessee, Connor Shaw suffered yet another setback. Already battling a shoulder injury, he tore a knee ligament in Knoxville, and to make matters worse, he came down with the flu the following week. All signs pointed to South Carolina being without its captain, but true to his nature, Shaw suited up alongside his teammates anyway.
With Shaw sidelined to start, Dylan Thompson took over at quarterback before a packed house. Thompson was no stranger to stepping in when called upon — most memorably in 2012, when he led the Gamecocks to a surprise win over rival Clemson. His past success gave Carolina fans reason to feel confident despite Shaw’s absence.
Unfortunately for South Carolina, Dylan Thompson couldn’t quite find the magic that night in Columbia. Though he would one day set the program’s single-season passing record, his performance against Missouri fell short of expectations. Thompson threw for over 200 yards and helped move the offense, but turnovers and missed opportunities kept the Gamecocks out of the end zone.
In a matchup between two quarterbacks who had once been backups, Thompson and Maty Mauk, it seemed the edge belonged to Missouri. With costly fumbles and an interception stalling South Carolina’s best drives, the visiting Gamecocks appeared destined to come up short.
Late in the third quarter, with South Carolina trailing 17-0, Steve Spurrier turned to his trusted quarterback with a simple four-word question: “Connor, can you go?” Before the words had even settled, Shaw was already strapping on his helmet, ready to answer the call.
Hobbled and clearly in pain, Shaw limped onto the field like a battle-worn warrior, but his determined expression told a different story. Despite the injuries and exhaustion, his presence radiated confidence and ignited belief among his teammates.
The Gamecocks faced a daunting 17-point deficit, and the atmosphere in Columbia, Missouri, felt heavy with inevitability. Yet as Shaw rejoined the huddle and Spurrier paced the sideline, a glimmer of hope began to build. The sense grew that South Carolina still had a chance to flip the script.
Remarkably, Shaw hadn’t practiced a single snap all week due to injury and illness. Even so, with just over 20 minutes left to play, he stepped in and immediately provided the emotional and competitive spark his team desperately needed. Though far from full strength, Shaw embodied the grit and resolve that defined the 2013 Gamecocks.
Shaw’s first drive back under center didn’t amount to much, stalled in part by a costly penalty that halted any momentum. Still, the Gamecocks’ offense was beginning to find a different energy with their leader back in the game.
On the next possession, Shaw connected with running back Mike Davis, tight end Jerell Adams, and wideout Bruce Ellington to march South Carolina down the field. The drive ended with Ellington sliding into the end zone for a touchdown with 12:13 remaining, finally putting the Gamecocks on the scoreboard and trimming Missouri’s lead to 17-7.
The South Carolina defense seemed to feed off Shaw’s determination. On Missouri’s following drive, they stood tall and forced a missed field goal attempt with just under ten minutes left. Shaw then guided the offense deep into Tiger territory once again, and freshman kicker Elliott Fry converted a 20-yard field goal to close the gap to 17-10.
What once looked like an insurmountable deficit suddenly became a one-score game. Steve Spurrier’s philosophy of “play the next play” was coming to life, as the Gamecocks clawed back into contention. Shaw’s grit and leadership had turned what felt like a lost night into the start of something special.
To keep the comeback alive, the defense needed one more critical stand. Facing 3rd-and-2 with just over four minutes left and only a single timeout remaining, the Gamecocks couldn’t afford to yield a first down. Missouri tried a stretch run to the outside, but cornerback Victor Hampton crashed in from the secondary to deliver a clutch tackle for a three-yard loss, forcing a punt and giving South Carolina another chance.
With one last opportunity to tie the game, Shaw and the South Carolina offense took the field. In a storybook sequence, Missouri’s defense had no answers for the Gamecocks’ determination, as destiny seemed to take over under the Faurot Field lights.
The drive was flawless. South Carolina never faced a third down as Shaw connected with Bruce Ellington and then found Mike Davis three times to push the ball to the 2-yard line. With 42 seconds left, Shaw rolled to his injured side and fired a strike to Nick Jones for the touchdown. Elliott Fry’s extra point tied the score at 17, stunning the Missouri faithful and putting the Tigers’ perfect season in jeopardy.
Overtime began with the momentum squarely on South Carolina’s side, but Missouri quickly swung it back. The Tigers punched in a one-yard touchdown run on their possession, reclaiming the lead at 24-17 and putting pressure squarely on the Gamecocks to answer.
Shaw, calm and composed, delivered once again by hitting Ellington for a 16-yard gain to jump-start the drive. For a moment, it appeared South Carolina would keep the rally alive.
But adversity struck immediately. Shaw was sacked on first down, then threw back-to-back incompletions, leaving the Gamecocks staring at 4th-and-goal from the 15-yard line. What looked like a miracle comeback was hanging by the thinnest of threads, with the season’s fate on one final play.
Yet Shaw never lost faith.
On the decisive play, fittingly named “Fork,” he guided his teammates to the line with confidence. The design called for the outside receiver to run a post while Bruce Ellington, lined up in the slot, broke toward the corner.
From the far hash, Shaw delivered a perfectly placed throw, threading it into Ellington’s hands despite the daunting circumstances. Against all odds, the Gamecocks found the end zone once more.
Elliott Fry’s extra point followed, knotting the game at 24 and completing yet another improbable chapter in Shaw’s unforgettable performance.
In the second overtime, Shaw guided the offense into position for Elliott Fry, who calmly nailed another field goal to give South Carolina its first lead of the night. Missouri had a chance to respond, but Andrew Baggett’s kick struck the left upright, sealing the Tigers’ fate.
It felt like divine intervention for the Gamecocks, as Shaw’s heroics delivered the seemingly impossible. The 27-24 triumph quickly became known as the “Miracle in Missouri,” a game etched into program lore almost instantly.
Shaw’s stat line told the story of his brilliance. In just over a quarter plus two overtime periods, he completed 20 of 29 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns, all while playing through significant pain and illness.
The performance remains one of the most celebrated individual displays in South Carolina athletics history. Fittingly, Shaw didn’t walk off the field alone that night his teammates carried him, Mayor’s Cup trophy in hand, a warrior immortalized in Gamecock legend.
That unforgettable night in Columbia, Missouri, perfectly encapsulated Connor Shaw’s legacy as a Gamecock. Battling through pain and adversity, he embodied resilience and refused to quit, no matter the circumstances stacked against him.
What defined Shaw most was his unshakable determination to win. Time after time, he found a way often when the odds suggested otherwise and that persistence became his trademark in garnet and black.
Now, more than a decade later, South Carolina has another opportunity to make history at Faurot Field. The Gamecocks will face Missouri under the lights, with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. (Eastern) on ESPN and streaming on the ESPN app.
It will be just their third chance ever to win in Columbia, Missouri, and the stakes feel high once again. Memories of 2013 still linger, fueling the hope of a repeat performance on Saturday night.
And if the Gamecocks can recapture some of that same magic, fans might witness the birth of new legends echoes of a victory that continues to inspire 12 years later.
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