Penn State QB Clark is undersung hero

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Penn State quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno just can't figure it out.

After games like Saturday's - the No. 12 Nittany Lions' 35-10 victory over Michigan - he can't help but wonder why Penn State senior quarterback Daryll Clark doesn't get more national attention.

Clark passed for four touchdowns, marking the fourth time this season he has thrown for at least three.

"Daryll has played in absolutely nasty weather every game, his numbers are ahead of where they were last year . . . nobody's talking about him," Paterno said. "It's time for some people to start talking about him on a national level. He's not getting the credit he deserves."

Clark has also played against some pretty weak opponents - Akron, Syracuse, Temple, Eastern Illinois, to name a few. That's likely why there hasn't been much buzz surrounding Clark, who will look to impress again Saturday when Penn State (7-1, 3-1 Big Ten) travels to Northwestern (5-3, 2-2) for a 4:30 p.m. kickoff.

In Penn State's 21-10 loss to Iowa last month, Clark threw three interceptions, including two in the fourth quarter.

Other than that, Clark has been impressive.

When crunching the numbers, he ranks among the nation's top quarterbacks.

Clark has thrown for 17 touchdowns. Only two FBC quarterbacks - Kellen Moore of Boise State with 21 and Case Keenum of Houston with 20 - have thrown for more (three others also have 17). Among Big Ten quarterbacks, only Purdue's Joey Elliott comes close with 14. Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor and Iowa's Ricky Stanzi trail Clark with 12 apiece.

Clark ranks 13th in the country in points responsible for with 15.75 per game. He's 19th in passing efficiency (148.43), 20th in total passing yards (1,884) and 33rd in passing yards per game (235.5).

Clark leads the Big Ten in passing efficiency and ranks third in total offense in front of fourth-place Pryor, a sophomore who was named the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year. That was a bit of a shock, considering Clark was a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the media and the coaches last season, and Pryor only earned an honorable mention nod from the media.

"I don't think Daryll has received the credit he should have, because he's really played great football," Penn State head coach Joe Paterno said. "People have been critical of him."

Clark threw six of his seven interceptions in the first four games of the season. Those early struggles can be, in part, attributed to an inexperienced offensive line and a new corps of receivers.

After eight games, only Michigan's Tate Forcier has thrown fewer picks (five) among conference quarterbacks.

And after eight games and an impressive performance at Michigan Stadium, it seems that maybe Clark does deserve just a bit more credit.

Clark will let his coaches do the talking, though. He'll just continue to play.

"I really don't even feed into it," Clark said. "I just try to show up every day at practice to get myself better, help get the team better and play the best way possible on Saturdays. What the media says and what the guys at ESPN say, it really doesn't matter to me as long as we are getting Ws." *