ND
vs Syracuse [W 34-10]
Scroll Down for Game Photos
ND-Navy
2005 Video Highlights
[credit: Nevin O'Donnell]
Matt
Shelton had a nice performance in his final home
Notre
Dame game, with 3 receptions for 62 yards. The
5th-year
senior has played in all of the Irish games this season but playing
with a leg brace due to surgery last year. Last year Matt set
an all-time Notre Dame record in
average yards per pass reception.
Matt,
of course, is
from Collierville and is an ex officio member of the ND Club
of Memphis. See Matt in action in the first four photos
below and also see the attached article on Matt and
the poster photo from the internet. From the ND Club of Memphis:
Well done, Matt!
Matt
Shelton
Credit:
Mark Phillipoff
More
of Mark's ND photos can be viewed at
http://community.webshots.com/user/zaggie1
Matt
Shelton
Credit:
Mark Phillipoff
Matt
Shelton
Credit:
Mark Phillipoff
Matt
Shelton
Credit:
Mark Phillipoff
Mike
Richardson with a near interception
Credit:
John Gress / Reuters
Mike
Richardson with a near interception
Credit:
John Gress / Reuters
Darius
Walker in a 1st quarter 38 yard gain
Credit:
Darron Cummings / AP
Darius
Walker in a 2nd quarter run
Credit:
John Gress / Reuters
Maurice
Stovall with a TD reception
Credit:
BlueandGold,com
Jeff
Samardzija with a 29 yard 2nd quarter TD
Credit:
Joe Raymond / AP
Nov.
21, 2005
By
John Mutka / Gary Post-Tribune senior correspondent
SOUTH
BEND — A year ago Matt Shelton brightened an otherwise drab Notre
Dame offense, but couldn't save
Coach
Ty Willingham's job. His 25.8-yard average per reception was a single-season
record, but a knee injury
and
a coaching change turned him into an afterthought.
Withheld
from spring practice because of a knee injury, Shelton fell behind
Valparaiso's Jeff Samardzija and
Maurice
Stovall on quarterback Brady Quinn's preferred
list
of wide receivers. While trying to regain the speed
which
once produced a 60-yard indoor track time of 7.18 seconds, the 6-foot
senior gradually worked his way back into the limelight.
But
the media limelight focused elsewhere until Saturday.
In
his final home game, Shelton caught three passes for
62
yards.
“Nice
to see you guys again,” he said, joking with the
media
after a 34-10 victory over Syracuse. “I missed you.”
Shelton
was hardly AWOL. He persevered to play in all 10 games, but slipped
to 11.8 yards per catch. Though he is obviously no longer a deep threat
for the Irish, he could
feel
good about himself on an emotional afternoon.
“It
definitely felt good to end it on a decent day,” he said after joining
33 other seniors for an impromptu victory lap.
“I
enjoyed it (the lap), but cramped up a bit. I
didn't know we were going to do a circle.”
Quinn
became Notre Dame's first 3,000-yard passer by connecting on 21 attempts
for 270 yards, but Notre Dame's offense never established a rhythm
against the Orange,
who
slipped to 1-9. The visitors ranked sixth nationally in pass defense.
Shelton
defended Notre Dame's uninspired offensive effort against a 1-9 team.
“I
don't care what anyone says or
what
the stats say (about Syracuse),” Shelton protested. “They have solid
DBs.”
Samardizja
came in needing 81 yards to become Notre Dame's first 1,000-yard receiver
since Tom Gatewood
racked
up 1,123 in 1970. Quinn
threw 16 passes in his direction, but nine fell incomplete.
Samardzija
did extend his school record to 13 touchdowns on a 29-yard play, but
is still a
yard short of joining Gatewood.
Reserve quarterback Marty Mooney has never thrown to Samardzija, but
came on as the president of his fan club. “People saw him on Saturday
making those one-handed catches against Purdue and Tennessee, but
Jeff does it
all
the time.”
Samardzija's
emergence caught many by surprise, but Mooney was convinced all he
needed was an opportunity.
“To
be perfectly honest I always thought he was this good,” said the senior
advocate. Mooney also completed his first collegiate pass in his home
finale.
Drubbing
Syracuse took on added significance for Carl
Gioia,
who was bumped by D.J. Fitzpatrick after kicking
off
in the first three games. The Valparaiso junior slipped because he
couldn't match the depth of Fitzpatrick, who also punted and kicked
extra points.
Before
giving way, Fitzpatrick booted three field goals, but the third one
was wiped out by a roughing-the-kicker penalty. Fitzpatrick was injured
on the kick and the first down contributed to Notre Dame's final touchdown.
Gioia capped the 51-yard drive with the first extra point of his college
career, then kicked off.
“Fitz
could have kicked,” Coach Charlie Weis said, “but
we've
got a game next week (Stanford) and it gave us a chance to get Carl
in there.”
Contact
John Mutka at jandgmutka@msn.com
Credit:
Mark Phillipoff via Chestertonlep.com
