Daryll Clark
From NCAA College Football Information & Resource
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Daryll Clark (born Daryll Lawrence Clark on February 5, 1986 in Youngstown, Ohio) plays quarterback for The Pennsylvania State University Nittany Lions in the NCAA college football tournament. After getting his debut postponed and being relegated to back-up status for two years, Clark is coming into his fourth year more experienced and confident while learning the ropes and getting acquainted with his teammates and coaches. As early as the first half of the season, Clark has demonstrated his excellent arm strength and near pin-point accuracy to locate his teammates. For someone playing in just his first season as starter, Clark has also displayed veteran and leadership skills not common to first-year starters.
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[edit] Personal Life
Daryll Lawrence is the son of Daryll and Sheryl Clark. He also has two brothers, namely, Keith and Darnell. Daryll studied telecommunications at The Pennsylvania State University. When he is not throwing the pigskin on the field, he likes to play video games during his free time.
[edit] High School
Clark played high school football at Ursuline High in Youngstown, Ohio where he played under head coach Dan Murphy. A two-time all-league and all-area pick, Clark was tabbed as a second-team Division IV All-Ohio selection after his senior year when he captained the Fighting Irish and passed for 1,800 yards and 18 touchdowns.
[edit] College
The native of Youngstown received a two-star rating from Scouts.com, a three-star rating from Rivals.com, and was listed at #24 on Rivals' list of top dual threat quarterbacks. But despite the low-rating, Clark nonetheless received scholarship offers from major football universities such as Iowa, Nebraska, Toledo, and West Virginia. In the end, he was swayed over to Penn State by quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno.
Before Clark could ever don a Blue and White jersey, he has had to deal with several setbacks brought about by his academic issues. Because of insufficient grades, Clark was ruled academically ineligible and became a Prop 48 casualty in 2004. He had to enroll at The Kiski School, a rural, all-male prep school in Saltsburg, Pa., to improve his academic standing. He took the ACT four times and failed to make a minimum score of 21 in his first three tries. Fortunately in his fourth, he got a 24 and was eventually cleared to enroll at PSU.
[edit] 2005
Just as he was ready to become a Nittany Lion, Clark encountered another academic road block, this time it was an issue with the NCAA clearinghouse. He was not allowed to practice in early October and was prevented from working with the team the rest of the year.
[edit] 2006
The issue with the NCAA clearinghouse extended until the following spring. By the time he was finally allowed to be with the team and get back in the thick of things, junior Anthony Morelli had already secured the starting job. As a reserve, Clark made his collegiate debut at No. 4 Notre Dame where he went three-of-eight for 36 yards and rushed four times for 28 yards including a five yard run to register his first career score in the 17-41 setback. Clark was able to see action in the ensuing three games with each outing decided by 22 points or more. Facing against his hometown school of Youngstown State, Clark completed three-of-four passes for 25 yards while scoring his second touchdown on an 18-yard dash up the middle before finishing the game with 26 yards on 4 carries in the 34-point blow-out win. He also had a pair of carries in the 22-point loss to Ohio State then completed 1 of 2 passes for 7 yards with a 6-yard run in the 26-point victory over Northwestern. Versus No. 4 Michigan, Clark was able to play earlier in the third quarter when Morelli was injured and led Penn State on four possessions, completing three-of-six passes for 16 yards but was also sidelined himself with a mild concussion. He played momentarily in the win over Illinois before making his last appearance of the year against Temple, completing 4-of-7 passes for 32 yards while leading the Nittany Lions to two scoring drives, one of which ending on a one-yard touchdown plunge. He finished his rookie season completing 14-of-27 passes for 116 yards with 15 carries for 48 yards and 3 scoring runs in seven appearances.
[edit] 2007
The following season, Clark returned to re-portray his back-up duties at Penn State. In the opener against Florida International, he was 2-for-2 for 16 yards as the Nittany Lions shut-out the Golden Panthers. After playing sparingly against Buffalo and Iowa, he was fielded in against 19th ranked Wisconsin and directed a six-play, 42-yard scoring drive late in the fourth quarter capped by a one-yard touchdown run to finish the game with 21 yards on three carries. He also played against the undefeated Buckeyes and was four-of-five for 13 yards in the 20-point loss. He also had a 9-yard run in the 31-point shut-out win at Temple then threw a pass and rushed once in the 4-point loss at Michigan State. At the 2007 Valero Alamo Bowl against Texas A&M, Clark was fielded in to provide some "spark" off the bench as PSU trailed 0-14. During his stint on the field, he gained nine yards on his first carry then later on bolted up the middle for an 11-yard touchdown run to tie the score at 14. He finished that game rushing for a season high 50 yards on six carries in the 24-17 victory over the Aggies. He ended the year completing six-of-nine passes for 31 yards and gained 78 yards on 12 carries with 2 rushing TDs.
[edit] 2008
During the preseason camp, Clark engaged sophomore Pat Devlin and fellow senior Paul Cianciolo in a three-way quarterback battle for the starting position left by Morelli. In late August, about four days before the first game, coach Paterno named Clark as the starter over Devlin, citing his experience as the deciding factor on his appointment. Clark's promotion will put him at the heart of the team's new "Spread HD" offense which will feature the QB in the shotgun position behind center and involve the option running game.
In the season-opener against Coastal Carolina, Clark completed 11 of 14 passes for 146 yards and 1 TD to lead the Nittany Lions to a 56-point win. Against Oregon State, he went 14-of-23 for 215 yards and 2 TDs with 5 carries for 61 yards and another score as PSU dumped the Beavers, 45-14. At Syracuse, he was limited to only 47.6% completion (10-for-21) for 163 yards and 2 TDs in the 55-13 win. In wins over Temple and Illinois, he attempted 20 passes in each game, completing 13 for 196 yards and 2 TDs with his first career interception against the Owls, while connecting on 14 passes for 181 yards and 2 TDs against the Illini. He also scored on runs on both games, rushing a personal high 11 times for 50 yards versus the Illini. At Purdue, Clark completed 18-of-26 passes for 220 yards with 1 scoring run to lead the Nittany Lions to a 20-6 victory.
[edit] Career Stats
| Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||||||
| Year | Cmp | Att | Yds | Cmp% | Ypa | Lng | TD | Int | Sack | Rat | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Att/G | Yds/G |
| 2006 | 14 | 27 | 116 | 51.9 | 4.30 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 87.94 | 15 | 48 | 3.20 | 3 | 2.14 | 6.86 |
| 2007 | 6 | 9 | 31 | 66.7 | 3.44 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 95.60 | 12 | 78 | 6.50 | 2 | 1.50 | 9.75 |
| 2008 | ||||||||||||||||
[edit] Highlights
| Penn State QB Daryll Clark after the annual Blue-White game (2008). |
[edit] Achievements
[edit] 2008
- ESPN Helmet Sticker (vs. Oregon State)
- The Sporting News' 6th "Most Indispensable" player in the nation
[edit] References
- Clark's confidence shaped through adversity
- Daryll Clark Cfbstats.com
- Daryll Clark Leading Penn State Back to Prominence
- Daryll Clark Penn State Profile
- Daryll Clark Scout.com Profile
- Daryll Clark Wikipedia
- PSU Preseason: Daryll Clark will be running Lions new 'Spread HD' offense
- Penn State turns to Clark at QB
