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VARSITY October 10, 2013
"I told him (Shelton) you want to win
more downs than you lose," Fletcher said.
"You might get beat; you might miss a
tackle. But, hey, you've got four quarters
and by the time that clock is 00:00 across
the scoreboard, you want to know you
won more than you lost."
DAN SANGER / ICON SMI
• • • •
hen Shelton ran off the field in Columbus,
he couldn't keep his eyes off the scoreboard.
Ohio State 31, Wisconsin 24
"I remember watching the clock wind down vividly
and seeing the difference was seven points; we lose
by seven, it was like, 'Man, you could have changed
that,"' he said. "I never want that feeling again. It's
something that has been sticking with me for awhile
― the dropped pick and the touchdown."
Two plays after Shelton had broken up the Miller
pass in the end zone intended for Spencer, Miller
attacked him again with Devin Smith who got no
separation on his route. Moreover, the throw came
up short and Shelton, who had leveraged Smith,
was in a perfect spot for the interception.
It was a gift. But he dropped the ball.
"My hand placement was terrible; I didn't need
to jump, either," said Shelton who won't turn 19
until Christmas Day. "When the ball was in the air,
my mindset was to just get the ball down; there
were only 16 seconds left in the half. I realized
later it was a play where I could have changed the
game."
On the next play, Miller completed a 40-yard
touchdown pass to Philly Brown.
"I felt terrible; words can't explain how I felt,"
said Shelton, who was consoled after the game by
Ohio State linebacker Ryan Shazier, an All-America
candidate. Both attended Plantation High School
just outside of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. "He told me afterwards that he felt like I played a good game."
Over the last two weeks, Shelton and Shazier
have been communicating almost daily via text,
e-mail or Facebook. "Since Day One, I've always
looked up to Ryan and it did mean something to
me," Shelton said of the encouragement that Shazier passed along. "One day I'd like to be in his position."
Only at cornerback; Sojourn Shelton is on mission to be game-changer.
"In order to do that," he said wistfully, "you have
to catch the ball."
Fletcher and Starks are confident he will keep
putting himself in position for interceptions. He
can take their words to heart. After all, he's here to
play; he felt like he proved that at Ohio State.
"I felt like I belonged out there," Shelton said.
