Notre Dame's Shelton no longer anonymous on football field

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Matt Shelton liked being anonymous.

At 6-feet tall, 175 pounds, the Notre Dame wide receiver can still walk around campus without anyone noticing him because he doesn't look like a football player. It's unlikely, though, that opposing teams will let him go unnoticed any longer.

Shelton, the fastest player on the Fighting Irish (2-1), sparked Notre Dame's comeback against Michigan two weeks ago with a leaping 46-yard touchdown catch over cornerback Markus Curry. Last week against Michigan State, he had a 53-yard reception and a 35-yard TD catch.

On the season, Shelton has four catches, averaging an eye-popping 42.2 yards a catch.

”He is showcasing his speed and his ability to get the ball and make plays,” Notre Dame coach Tyrone Willingham said.

Shelton is a senior who has primarily been relegated to special teams play before this season. His previous moment in the limelight came last season against Stanford, when he had a 65-yard TD catch. Heading into this season, he had just four catches for 98 yards.

But he has been seeing his role slowly expand. He had one catch against the Wolverines and three against the Spartans.

”He's added a big spark to our offense that I don't think a lot of people expected coming into this season,” tight end Anthony Fasano said. ”He's really helping our big-play capabilities.”

Irish quarterback Brady Quinn said the key is that Shelton is running good routes and getting open.

”He's making plays when the ball is sent his way.” Quinn said.

Willingham, who was a 5-foot-6 receiver at Michigan State, said he thinks Shelton can use his size to his advantage.

”Unfortunately you have a tendency sometimes when you see a little guy to not believe that he can beat you or he can do certain things against you. When you catch an opponent by surprise, it is a wonderful thing in terms of being an advantage,” he said.

Shelton knows that. So while he's enjoying some of the media attention he's receiving because of his recent success, he's not as happy that opponents are going to be watching for him.

”I wish I was still secret,” he said. ”It would make my job a little bit easier.”

HOW'D YOU DO THAT: The Notre Dame defense has forced 11 turnovers so far this season, leading to 38 of Notre Dame's 76 points this season. Defensive coordinator Kent Baer is getting calls from coaches around the country wanting to know the secret.

”There's no magic to it. You just have to keep emphasizing it and talking about it,” he said. ”Our kids enjoy it. They're excited about it. We like to score some points.”

Linebacker Derek Curry said the Irish defense puts a priority on scoring and helping the offense to score.

”One of the main things we focus on is definitely setting up a score,” he said.

NO FAIR: Punt returner Carlyle Holiday doesn't want to waste a chance he has to make something happen, which explains why he has yet to call for a fair catch on 10 tries.

”I don't think I'm going to fair catch any of them this season,” he said. ”Every opportunity I get, I'm going to try to take advantage of it. The defense better come hard, or I'm going to try to take the ball every time.”

Willingham likes the attitude of the former quarterback, who is averaging 12 yards a return.

”I could not be more excited with his approach. I think that's the way it should be played,” Willingham said.

QUICK HITS: Notre Dame is 4-0 all-time against Washington, while Willingham, who formerly coached at Stanford, is 0-5 against the Huskies. … Notre Dame will honor John Huarte during the game on Saturday. Huarte won the Heisman Trophy 40 years ago after leading the Irish to a 9-1 season. … The last time Notre Dame played Washington in 1996, the Irish won 54-20 and had 650 yards total offense. That's the last time Notre Dame has had more than 600 yards offense in a game.

QUOTABLE IRISH: ”It's a lot better to clean up some mistakes with a win than it is with a loss.” — Tight end Anthony Fasano.