Clark makes it happen at Michigan

Jeff Rice

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It had the look of another long day in the Big House.

For the CDT/Steve Manuel

Penn State linebacker and former Penns Valley standout Josh Hull (43) chases down Michigan’s Denard Robinson on Saturday. Hull finished the game with 10 tackles, 2 1/2 tackles for a loss and a sack during the Nittany Lions’ 35-10 win over the Wolverines on Saturday.

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Michigan had taken the opening kickoff and moved downfield with ease, taking a 7-0 lead on Brandon Minor’s 1-yard touchdown and looking like it was capable of doing it all afternoon.

An answer was required, and Penn State’s Daryll Clark provided it.

The Nittany Lions’ quarterback led a brisk four-play, 63-yard touchdown drive on Penn State’s first possession Saturday and went on to have a huge day in its 35-10 defeat of the Wolverines.

“We knew that first drive we had was going to be critical to the rest of the football game,” Clark said.

Clark’s first pass found wide receiver Derek Moye for a 14-yard gain and, after Evan Royster’s 41-yard run had set up Penn State inside the 10-yard line, Clark zipped a pass to the left corner to Graham Zug for the first of his four touchdown passes.

That pass put Clark in a tie with Zack Mills on Penn State’s career list of touchdowns accounted for (52). His 60-yard touchdown pass to tight end Andrew Quarless in the second quarter gave him the Penn State record and his two third-quarter touchdown passes to Zug gave him 17 for the season and 36 for his career, five shy of the school record held by Mills, Todd Blackledge and Tony Sacca. He is also five shy of Blackledge’s single-season record of 22.

Since throwing three interceptions in a 21-10 loss to Iowa last month, Clark has thrown for eight touchdowns and one interception and completed 65 percent of his passes over his last four games, all Penn State wins.

“Daryll has played in absolutely nasty weather every game, his numbers are ahead of where they were last year … nobody’s talking about him,” said Penn State quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno. “It’s time for some people to start talking about him on a national level. He’s not getting the credit he deserves.”

Getting closer

Team doctors still have the final call on game days when Sean Lee’s left knee is concerned. But during practice, “we’ve kind of let him call the shots,” Penn State head coach Joe Paterno said Saturday.

Just as he did last week against Minnesota, Lee initially came into the game only when the Nittany Lions went to the nickel, which wasn’t often considering Michigan’s no-huddle attack made substitutions difficult if not impossible.

But in the second half, Lee replaced Bani Gbadyu in Penn State’s base package, which he hadn’t done last week. The senior finished with three tackles and one pass breakup and believes he took an important step toward resuming full-time duties.

“I think I’ll be playing more,” Lee said. “It felt normal.”

Powell boost

Penn State’s speed and athleticism has led to big plays in various phases of the game this season.

Coming into Saturday, kickoff returns hadn’t been one of them.

The Nittany Lions entered the game last in the Big Ten with a 15.4-yard average on kickoff returns, but got a spark from Chaz Powell, whose 54-yard return to Michigan’s 43-yard line opened the second half. Clark tossed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Zug four plays later for a 25-10 lead.

“The kickoff return was huge,” Jay Paterno said. “Then it was three or four plays and we’re in the end zone. That kind of changed the whole mode of the game.”

A return in the final seconds of the first half didn’t set up a score but did give Penn State defensive end Jerome Hayes, who made a nice over-the-head grab of a short kick and wound his way upfield for 20 yards, a chance to quiet some of his teammates.

“The guys always get at me because I hurt my knees,” said Hayes, who has torn ACLs in both knees during the last three years. “They think I can’t run any more. But I had to show them I still had a little bit of tailback in me.”

Miscellaneous

Paterno is now five career coaching wins ahead of Florida State’s Bobby Bowden, 390 to 385. The Seminoles beat North Carolina on Thursday. … A pair of F-18 “Super Hornet” Navy jets flew over the stadium as the national anthem concluded. … The Nittany Lions have not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 11 games dating back to last season.