Shelton gets involved

November 11, 2007

Kenny Walter
OwlScoop.com Staff Writer

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Through the first nine games of the season, wide receiver Travis Shelton was a forgotten man in Temple's offense.

Against Penn State Saturday, the Owls used Shelton more. The junior caught five passes for 50 yards in Saturday's 31-0 defeat at the hands of Penn State.

Coming into the game, Shelton had just 12 receptions for 66 yards.

"It felt great today being part of the offense," Shelton said. "I felt good. I felt like we were clicking. We just need to finish it up in the red zone."

The Owls were able to move the ball on Penn State, getting inside the Nittany Lions' 20-yard line on two of their first three possessions. But once they got there, they couldn't convert. They were 0-for-4 on red zone attempts.

Temple amassed 242 total yards of offense, with 194 of that coming in the first half when the game was still within reach.

"We lost our focus a little bit when we got into the red zone," Shelton said. "(Temple) Coach (Al Golden) is always telling us to finish and not everybody was finishing, which is why our success was low."

Temple was facing a Penn State defense ranked No. 12 overall in the nation, and the Lions were averaging four sacks a game. To combat that, the Owls focused heavily on quick passes, and Shelton was a beneficiary of those quick hits.

"I think he played alright, one of his better games of the year," Golden said of Shelton. "Hopefully he'll keep building and finish the season strong."

Shelton was told to be ready.

"The coaches early in the week said they were going to try to get me the ball," Shelton said. "They wanted me to start making plays."

Temple quarterback Vaughn Charlton knew he wouldn't have much time to spend in the pocket, so the dump-offs to Shelton were perfect for him.

"Our game plan going into the game was to get rid of the ball fast," Charlton said. "Travis Shelton is a heck of an athlete. Any time you get him the ball, he makes something happen."

Another point of emphasis for Shelton has been special teams. The cousin of Chicago Bears Pro Bowl return man Devin Hester, Shelton was a standout in the return game last season, averaging 28.8 yards per return with one touchdown in just six games.

But coming into the Penn State game, Shelton was averaging just 21.4 yards per kickoff. He returned four kickoffs Saturday for 76 yards, including a 27-yarder that got the offense to midfield.

"They tried to sky kick it," Shelton said. "My team set up the wedge pretty nicely, so I was able to get a good return."

A 31-0 loss, of course, is not what Shelton and the rest of his teammates hoped for, but Temple's performance was a vast improvement from last season's 47-0 drubbing up at State College. The Owls mustered just two first downs and didn't cross midfield that rainy afternoon.

Leaving the Linc Saturday, Shelton was left with a different feeling.

"Last year it felt like a whole different ball game," Shelton said. "This year it felt like we were supposed to win that game. It didn't feel like a 31-0 game."



OwlScoop.com staff writer Kenny Walter can be reached at kenneth.walter@temple.edu.