A look back at one the greatest performances in South Carolina football history: Connor Shaw's "Miracle in Missouri"

On what is his 34th birthday, the South Carolina football program’s greatest quarterback of all time, Connor Shaw, is in the hospital. Earlier this week, Shaw was admitted after collapsing during his son’s football game. At last report, Shaw is awake, stable, and responsive as he recovers.

The thoughts and prayers of Gamecock Nation have been with Shaw this week.

Shaw’s birthday on Friday, September 19th also represents Mayor’s Cup Eve, as the legendary quarterback’s alma mater will take on the Missouri Tigers on Saturday. No. 14 took on Missouri twice during his career, winning both times.

The second of those contests was one of the greatest performances in the history of South Carolina football. Known as the “Miracle in Missouri,” Shaw led a comeback for the ages in “the other Columbia.”

With the teams squaring off again on Saturday, a look back at that magical night 12 years ago is appropriate.

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Back in 2013, South Carolina and Missouri were two of the best teams in the SEC. As the calendar was nearly ready to turn from October to November, the two ranked squads met on the field.

At 7-0, Missouri was the surprise of college football and ranked No. 5 in the country. The Gary Pinkel-led group was playing extremely well behind a salty defense, and gunslinging backup-turned-starting quarterback Maty Mauk had the fan base in CoMo expecting big things.

The No. 20 Gamecocks were making their first trip ever to Faurot Field. Carolina was 5-2 heading into the contest and was coming off a heartbreaking defeat on the road against Tennessee.

In that Tennessee loss, Shaw had gotten hurt. Already dealing with an injured shoulder, the Gamecock starter tore a ligament in his knee in Knoxville. Making matters worse, Shaw had gotten sick with the flu the next week. It appeared that South Carolina would be without its sick and twice-injured captain. Because of who Connor Shaw is, he elected to dress out with his on-field brothers, nonetheless.

Dylan Thompson, as he had done before, earned the start in Shaw’s stead in front of a capacity crowd. His most notable reserve duty came in a surprise start against Clemson in 2012, a game that Steve Spurrier’s Gamecocks won. Because of that, Carolina fans were confident with Thompson playing.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t Thompson’s night in CoMo.

To be clear, Thompson, the eventual record-holder for single-season passing yards, was not bad against Missouri. He threw for over 200 yards and moved the ball down the field. However, something was missing that day, and the Gamecock offense could not put the ball in the end zone. A couple of fumbles and a Thompson interception thwarted the team’s best chances for points.

In the battle of former backups between Thompson and Mauk, it looked like the road team was going to fall short.

Trailing 17-0 late in the third quarter, the Head Ball Coach asked his senior leader a four-word question. As the words “Connor, can you go?” left Spurrier’s lips, the hobbled Shaw was already buckling his chinstrap.

Like a battered warrior, Shaw emerged from the brief conversation with his head coach with a noticeable limp but a confidence in his eye.

Down by 17 points, the Gamecocks were in dire straits, but with their senior leader joining the huddle and Spurrier on the sideline, hope flickered beneath the surface. Even in the tough situation presented in Columbia, Missouri, there was a feeling that the Gamecocks weren’t quite done.

Because of his injuries and sickness, Shaw hadn’t practiced all week. When he took the field with just over 20 minutes to play, it was obvious that he was far from 100%. Still, the heart and soul of the 2013 Gamecocks proved to be the spark that the offense needed.

Thanks in part to a penalty, Carolina didn’t get anything going on Shaw’s first drive.

On his second set of downs, Shaw found running back Mike Davis, tight end Jerell Adams, and wide receiver Bruce Ellington. The possession culminated in a sliding Ellington touchdown reception with 12:13 remaining in the game. The score got the Gamecocks on the board for the first time, cutting the lead to 17-7.

Perhaps inspired by the resiliency of their captain, the South Carolina defense stiffened, forcing a Missouri missed field goal attempt with 9:32 left on the clock. On the ensuing drive, Shaw once again led the Gamecocks deep into Missouri territory. A 20-yard field goal from freshman walk-on kicker Elliott Fry brought the margin to just seven points.

The score was then 17-10, and a game that once seemed hopeless was suddenly within reach. Spurrier’s mantra of “play the next play” was in full effect as his Gamecocks had worked themselves into position for a miraculous comeback behind Shaw’s heroics.

For South Carolina to have a chance to complete that comeback, the defense had to stop Missouri one final time. On 3rd-and-2 with just over four minutes left and only one timeout remaining, the Gamecocks could not afford to give up a first down. Missouri attempted to run a stretch handoff to the edge, but cornerback Victor Hampton flew up from the secondary to stuff the play in the backfield for a three-yard loss, forcing a Missouri punt.

Shaw and the offense were going to get one final chance to send the game to overtime. Like a scene from a movie, the Missouri defense proved to be no match for destiny.

The Gamecocks never even faced a third down on their final drive of regulation. Shaw made a connection with Ellington before hitting Davis three times to get to the 2-yard line. With 42 seconds remaining, Shaw put his gimpy left knee to the test. Rolling that direction, he hit Nick Jones on an out route for a touchdown. Fry’s PAT was good, and the sold-out crowd at Faurot Field finally understood that their undefeated season was in serious jeopardy.

With the game headed to overtime, Carolina had all the momentum. That momentum lasted all of four plays, however. Missouri found the end zone on a one-yard run to open the overtime scoring, making the score 24-17 and ensuring that the Gamecocks needed to get a touchdown to force a second overtime.

Shaw was unfazed, and he immediately found Ellington for a 16-yard gain.

However, things got more difficult when Shaw was dropped behind the line on the ensuing 1st down. Then, moving the odds from “slim” to “virtually insurmountable,” two incomplete passes followed. The comeback effort was all but lost, as the Gamecocks faced 4th-and-goal from the 15-yard line.

Still, Shaw believed.

With a playcall named “Fork,” Shaw confidently led his troops to the line. The play design sent the outside receiver on a post route, and Ellington, operating from the slot, ran a corner. Shaw threw a beautiful ball from the opposite hash, and beating the odds once again, the Gamecocks earned six points and then tied the score following another Fry PAT.

Shaw and the offense managed to set Fry up for another field goal in the second overtime. The made try gave the Gamecocks their first and only lead of the ball game. Missouri’s Andrew Baggett then missed a game-tying opportunity, clanking the pigskin off the left upright.

As if God was smiling on the Gamecocks, Connor Shaw pulled off the impossible. It didn’t take long for the 27-24 victory to receive the nickname “Miracle in Missouri.”

Shaw, in just over a quarter plus overtime, was 20-for-29 for 201 yards and three touchdowns. The performance is one of the most revered individual efforts in South Carolina Gamecocks athletics history. For his efforts–and, perhaps to save his knee the extra steps–the senior quarterback was carried off the field while hoisting the Mayor’s Cup trophy.

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That magical night was a microcosm of Connor Shaw’s career in garnet and black. He was hurt. He was counted out. But he never stopped fighting.

But, most of all, despite all that was working against him, he found a way to win. Just as he always did, he found a way.

Saturday night will give South Carolina a chance to win again in Missouri for just the third time ever. The game will begin at 7:00 p.m. (Eastern) and will air on ESPN and stream on the ESPN app.

If Gamecock fans have their way, the final score might mirror the one from 12 years ago. If that happens, maybe, just maybe, another legend or two will be born.

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