Buckeyes Periscope
QB brings swagger to Penn State
Thursday, October 23, 2008
What's brewing today with
the Ohio State Buckeyes:
Buckeyes buzz
Seasons came and seasons went in Happy Valley — and Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark remained glued to the bench.
Nobody, it seemed, was happy with starter Anthony Morelli's play the last couple of years. But he kept going back out there, play after play. Clark spent three years watching from the sidelines. He threw a total of 36 passes — just nine of them as a junior.
Yet coach Joe Paterno decided to install Clark, now a senior, as his starter this season. It's been an inspired move.
The Youngstown native has passed for 1,531 yards — 10 times more than he had in his career coming into this season — and 11 touchdowns with just two interceptions, putting him No. 18 in the country in pass efficiency. He also has added a dimension by running the ball.
Overlooked by the Nittany Lions coaching staff for years, Ohio State is keeping a close eye on him as the Buckeyes head into its home game Saturday, Oct. 25, against Penn State.
"He's pretty much turned the whole program around," OSU cornerback Malcolm Jenkins said. "He's brought a new swagger to the offense."
Linebacker James Laurinaitis added, "You see a lot of plays that look almost dead sometimes, and then he's breaking a big run."
Said Paterno: "A lot of things have come together. I think everybody appreciates how hard Clark has worked and how good of an athlete he is." Finally.
Before you ask
Those cables hovering over the field are there so ABC can use Skycam. This is the first time Skycam — a robotic camera suspended from a cable-driven, computerized transport system — has been used during a game at Ohio Stadium.


