Pryor, Clark took different paths to QB jobs

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP)—Lost in the hoopla over Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor’s trip home to Pennsylvania this weekend is the story of how Penn State found its own signal-caller in the Buckeyes’ backyard.

Cool in the pocket and confident in the locker room, Youngstown, Ohio-native Daryll Clark has turned into a star with the No. 11 Nittany Lions (8-1, 4-1 Big Ten).

Pryor’s visit Saturday to Beaver Stadium will be his first since signing with No. 15 Ohio State (7-2, 4-1) more than 18 months ago to end a heated recruiting race. Still, things have turned out just fine in Happy Valley.

“I’ve tried to say time and time again … I think Daryll Clark has been an outstanding performer for us,” Penn State coach Joe Paterno said this week before adding his signature phrase reserved for his favorite Nittany Lions.

“Daryll Clark is one heck of a football player.”

Penn State is 19-3 since Clark took over as the starter in 2008. Clark’s 37 career touchdown passes are four shy of tying the school record, and his 20 rushing touchdowns ties him with mentor Michael Robinson for most TDs on the ground by a Nittany Lions QB.

And to think, just two years ago, hardcore Penn State fans were giddy about pursuing Pryor, the quarterback phenom out of Jeannette, Pa.

What was not to love about Pryor?

A 6-foot-6 phenom from a western Pennsylvania region known as the Cradle of Quarterbacks for producing the likes of Dan Marino, Joe Montana and Joe Namath, Pryor was the only player in state high school history to rush for more than 4,000 yards and throw for more than 4,000 in a career.

In contrast, Clark was a mid-level recruit upon graduating from Ursuline High in Youngstown in 2004.

“Clark was a completely under-the-radar kind of guy,” said Mark Brennan, the editor of FightonState.com, which covers Penn State recruiting. “People knew about him, but he was not the kind of five-star, all-everything prospect that Pryor was.”

After spending a year in prep school to brush up on grades, Clark joined the Nittany Lions in 2006, the first of two seasons backing up Anthony Morelli— himself a highly touted QB from western Pennsylvania.

The Pryor recruiting sweepstakes followed the next year. Clark helped out trying to lure a prospect who could potentially leapfrog him on the depth chart.

“That was kind of a difficult time for him. … He felt a little uncomfortable,” Clark’s father, Daryll Clark, Sr., said in a phone interview. “But he handled it well. He played his part.”

The ending is well-known now in Big Ten circles. Pryor couldn’t make a choice by the February 2008 date that opened the formal signing period, and took about another month before deciding on Ohio State over Penn State, Michigan and Oregon.

But that still didn’t clear the way for Clark in Happy Valley. Also on the Penn State roster at the time was highly touted sophomore Pat Devlin, who had set the Pennsylvania career prep passing record with 8,162 yards at Downingtown East.

Clark finally secured the starting job after outplaying Devlin in 2008 preseason camp. Clark may not have the explosive running ability that Robinson had, but he is the more polished passer with the ability to scramble out of trouble and bowl over defenders if needed.

“Offensively they have the blessing of having a very veteran quarterback who you’ve seen grow as each year’s gone,” Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said.

There have been some knocks on Clark, as expected with the high-profile job of Penn State starting quarterback.

Most notably, some critics or columnists will point out that Clark has faltered in some big games. Arguably his two worst performances of his career have come in losses to Iowa in September and last season.

He threw two picks in the final three minutes of the Rose Bowl loss last season against Southern California as Penn State tried to rally from a back from a 24-point deficit.

Clark was mostly ineffective before being knocked out in the third quarter of last season’s win at Ohio State because of a concussion. Devlin ran for the go-ahead touchdown in relief.

Recruiting-wise though, Clark’s emergence and Devlin’s transfer last year seems to have made it easier for Penn State to land dual-threat prospects, said Mike Farrell, an analyst with Rivals.com. Touted freshman Kevin Newsome is now Clark’s backup, and Penn State has verbal commitments from two prized recruits in next year’s class.

Depending on how those prospects pan out, “losing Pryor might not hurt them at all,” Farrell said.

Instead of tutoring Pryor as a teammate, Clark will be facing him Saturday.

Pryor, a sophomore, would like nothing better than to atone for his fourth-quarter fumble last season against the Nittany Lions that set up Devlin’s score. A good outing could placate critics who blame Pryor for Ohio State’s struggles, as well as silence Penn State fans expected to shower him with taunts.

“I’m sure they’re going to be giving me a lot of stuff, saying a lot of things, but I won’t hear any of it,” Pryor said last weekend after a 45-0 rout of New Mexico State.

Clark, a senior, would like to play well in his last game against his home-state rivals, and get his team back to the BCS. His proud father will be in the stands to root him on.

“People in this area, us being from Ohio, a lot of people that know us and our family, they want the Buckeyes to win,” Clark’s father said, ‘but they want Daryll to do well.”