THE DAILY COLLEGIAN Daryl! Clark attempts to get rid of the football before getting dived on by Syracuse line backer E.J. Carter (34) in Penn State's 28-7 win over the Orange earlier this year. Clark has turned around his season since a home loss to lowa by throwing nine touchdowns. Clark faces uphill climb in Heisman Trophy race By Wayne Staats COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER Daryll Clark may not care much about where he stands in the Heisman race, but he knows what it'll take to be in it. Although big names like past winner and Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and Texas signal-caller Colt McCoy remain some of the favorites, Clark has the potential to get back into the chase this weekend. "It's obviously a popularity thing and a stat type of thing as far as who's going to be voted the Heisman winner," Clark said dur ing his Wednesday conference call. "It's really nice to be mentioned amongst those guys. "It also means that it depends on how you play the remainder of the football sea son. Whatever happens, happens. But I've never been a guy to play for national acco lades." With the Buckeyes coming to Beaver Stadium this Saturday, Clark has a stage to impress pundits, even if he is focused on just getting a victory Clark has thrown for 2,158 yards this season with 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions and has dominated in recent weeks, tossing nine touchdowns and only one pick in the last four games. Despite the recent surge, Clark remains on the periphery of the Heisman shortlist. Although Alabama running back Mark Ingram is one of the top candidates, quar terbacks are leading most Heisman lists. Besides big-name quarterbacks like Tebow, McCoy and Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen, non-BCS conference QBs like Boise State's Kellen Moore and Houston's Case Keenum continue to put up big num bers. Moore leads the nation in passer rating (171) while Keenum is tops in passing yards (3,293). As such, ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg acknowledged the importance for Clark to not only win out but also put up huge num bers. "It'd be big for Daryll to throw for at least two touchdowns [ideally three or four] with no picks in a big win against the Buckeyes, - Rittenberg said in an email. "He'd then need to follow it up with a big STUDENT WHITE OUT VS OHIO STATE game against Michigan State on the road." Even if Clark does come through in both aspects, it may be too late to get an invite to the ceremony, Rittenberg said. The main reasons are that Clark isn't high on the charts right now and Penn State and the Big Ten ends the season a lot earli er than other teams. Clark's father, Daryll Sr., is almost in the same mindset regarding what his son needs to do to get closer to the top of Heisman lists. However, he thinks his son could be in the running for other accolades if the Nittany Lions win the last three games and Clark performs well. "As of late, they haven't been mentioning him," Clark's father said. "I know that's not a big concern of his. He wants to get back to the Rose Bowl —that's his goal. [The Heisman would] be nice to have on his resume, but I don't know if this game has any bearing on it." During his press conference on Tuesday, Penn State coach Joe Paterno continued to reiterate his belief that Clark isn't getting the credit he deserves. But the coach said it's hard to compare Clark with the other candidates, especially when it comes to watching them. "He's a heck of a football player," Paterno said. "He's been a great leader, great competitor, and I hope he gets his due." Of course, the fluid chart has been apparent, as Rittenberg said the race remains as open as he can remember for such a late point in the season. But if the accolades do come and if Clark is on the shortlist, it'll be because Penn State ends the season strongly. And that's all Clark can ask for. 'As long as this football team is winning games and everything I can to help the team and not hurt, I'm fine with that," Clark said. "If I'm in the running, I'm in the running. If I'm not, that's fine too, just as long as we wind up at the end of the season 11-1." To e-mail reporter: wmssol2@psu.edu More coverage on Nittany Lion football SPORTS, Pages 10, 12. FOOTBALL Nittany Lion BASKEU:II:%U Exhibition vs. Slippery Rock Fri, Nov. 6 @ 6:00 p.m. $5 General Admission Home Opener vs. Penn Fri, Nov. 13 @ 7:30 p.m. $5 General Admission vs. Robert Morris Mon, Nov. 16 0 7:30 pan. $5 Genera Lady L ma i jAkT6:I Exhibition vs. lUP Sun, Nov. $5 General Admission Home Opener vs. NJIT Sun, Nov. $5 General Men's WRE Intrasquad Thurs, Nov @ 7:00 p.m Home Opener vs. Bloomsburg Sun, Nov. 15 @ 12:00 p.m. 8 @ 2:00 p.m. 15 @ 2:00 p.m. Admission THURSDAY, Nov. 5, 2009 I 9
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