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Fired-up Clark delivers: Irked by commentator's criticism, QB is on target against Spartans.Nov 22, 2009 (The Times Leader - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- EAST LANSING, Mich. -- His morning started with an insult on national TV. By the evening, he had a crowd of Penn State fans chanting his name, followed by "BCS." That's the life of a major college quarterback. And after Saturday's 42-14 pasting of Michigan State, Daryll Clark is arguably the most prolific one to ever suit up at Penn State. The senior torched Michigan State for the second consecutive season, throwing for 310 yards and matching the four touchdowns he scored against the Spartans in 2008. In doing so, he set Penn State records for single-season passing yards (2,787), single-season passing touchdowns (23) and career passing touchdowns (42). And his Nittany Lions, who finished the regular season at 10-2 and 6-2 in Big Ten play, will have a legitimate shot to pick up an at-large bid to a BCS bowl when they get handed out on Dec. 6. All of this after the Lions were riled up by an offhand comment made by Todd McShay of ESPN and Scouts Inc. on Saturday morning. Commentating during ESPN's "College GameDay" preview show, McShay picked the Spartans to beat No. 14 Penn State, using the line, "Daryll Clark has been an interception machine in big games." That particularly ticked off Clark and quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno, who both heard it before the game. "I was upset," Clark said. "It caught me off guard. But I don't play for Todd McShay. Some people out there coach from their couches and don't even know how tough it is to run an offense." It certainly was tough early on for Clark, as both teams struggled through 27 minutes of scoreless football. But Clark found tight end Andrew Quarless all alone on a wheel route down the left sideline for a 29-yard touchdown with 2:10 left before the half, and that sparked the Youngstown, Ohio native. Clark went back to the sideline fired up, urging on his teammates to keep it going. Even though Michigan State immediately answered to send the game into halftime tied at 7-7, Clark didn't cool down. He came out in the third quarter and went 6-for-6 for 130 yards and three touchdowns. Penn State found the end zone on all four of its drives in the frame and quickly went up 35-7 in the battle for the less-than-fabled Land Grant Trophy. True freshman receiver Curtis Drake broke the tie when he took a pitch from Clark and threw a 14-yard score to Quarless on a gadget play. Then Clark proceeded to find fullback Joe Suhey for a 30-yard score before hooking up with Graham Zug for touchdowns of 32 and 27 yards. The Zug scores were set up by interceptions by safety Nick Sukay and linebacker Sean Lee, respectively. "We had trouble with pass protection early," Penn State's Joe Paterno said. "Once we had a couple things where we could move some people around (against) the blitzes, we felt we could beat them deep. The receivers, once we had time, were good. "Of course, Clark had a good game. ... He struggled a little bit until we got some things pinpointed, and he was fine. He's been fine all year. The kid has lost, what, four games in two years (21-4 as a starter)? He's a darn good quarterback." Playing Michigan State (6-6, 4-4) helps, too. Clark finished his career with eight touchdowns and 651 yards in the air against the Spartans, who are now dead last in the country with 29 passing touchdowns surrendered. Backup quarterback Kevin Newsome added a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. The Spartans scored on an 11-yard pass from Kirk Cousins to Charlie Gantt in the second and a 71-yard bomb from Keith Nichol to Keshawn Martin against second-teamers late in the fourth. Now comes a two-week wait for the Lions, as they must wait for the BCS bowl bids to be announced. A representative from the Orange Bowl was on hand to watch Penn State's win, and would be the most likely destination should Penn State be selected by a BCS game. "What do you want me to say? 'Pick us! Pick us!' What else can I say," Paterno said. "I appreciate everybody wanting to know. If I could, I'd get on the phone and call people and say, 'You owe me. Or if not, you better watch out -- there might be a horse's head in your bed."' To see more of The Times Leader, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.timesleader.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |