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psu football

By Derek Levarse dlevarse@timesleader.com
Sports Reporter
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The lone time Daryll Clark elected to scramble upfield this season – or needed to – his helmet ended up back at the line of scrimmage.

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Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark throws a pass as teammate Matt Stankiewitch holds off Syracuse defender Derrell Smith during the first half of last Saturday’s game in State College.

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Running down the left hash, the Penn State quarterback took a shot from Akron defender Sean Fobbs, sending Clark’s lid flying and drawing some oohs from the crowd.

Though Clark bounced up right away, there’s little doubt there was some wincing from the Nittany Lions’ coaching staff.

Not only has Clark not scrambled much on his own, but from the appearance of it, Penn State hasn’t called a single designed keeper for him in the opening two games.

Clark said this week that the coaches told him beforehand they wouldn’t be calling any runs for him in the early going.

“I don’t feel like there’s a need to run me as much this year,” Clark said. “If the coaches feel if there’s no need to run you, why do it? I’ve always said I’d rather throw for a touchdown than run for a touchdown.”

With Clark’s backups – true freshman Kevin Newsome and redshirt freshman Matt McGloin – having so little experience, it’s understandable that there’s a little trepidation in exposing Clark to more hits.

That’s not to say the Lions aren’t planning for it when the games get more important – say in two weeks against Iowa.

Last season, Penn State kept Clark in the pocket for non-conference games against Coastal Carolina and Syracuse.

In a much more meaningful game against Oregon State, the Lions loosened the reins and Clark ran for 61 yards and a touchdown on just five carries, adding an element to the offense that the Beavers struggled to stop.

Another factor this year could be the defensive schemes Penn State has faced thus far.

“Out of 70, 80 plays we had from scrimmage against Syracuse, they either had eight or nine in the box in about 60 of them,” coach Joe Paterno said. “And we had no one to block them all when you’re spread out. Out of those plays we had a legitimate chance to run the ball on maybe nine or 10 of them. And most of those situations were third-and-10 when you felt like you really had to throw the football.”

Bowman likely sitting out

Linebacker Navorro Bowman will most likely miss tomororow’s game against Temple, Paterno said Thursday on his weekly radio show.

The junior All-America candidate re-aggravated a groin injury he suffered in preseason camp early in the Lions’ opener against Akron. He was on the field for just four plays before checking himself out of the game.

He did not return to that game and also missed last week’s contest against Syracuse.

“I doubt Bowman’s gonna be playing this weekend,” Paterno said. “He can’t seem to get rid of that aggravated pull, and every time he tries to do something, it gets sore. So we figure he won’t make it back ’til … hopefully next week.”

The Lions open up the Big Ten schedule at home against Iowa on Sept. 26.

Lions land 2 new recruits

Detroit-area defensive end C.J. Olaniyan has given a verbal commitment to Penn State, according to Scout.com and Rivals.com. Olaniyan, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound pass rusher, is the 17th member of the Nittany Lions’ class of 2010.

Olaniyan, rated a four-star prospect by both Scout and Rivals, chose the Lions over offers from Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, UCLA and Virginia Tech among others.

He joins Maryland 6-foot-2, 230-pound fullback Zach Zwinak, who also verbally committed to the Lions this week. Zwinak is rated as the nation’s top fullback by both major recruiting services, choosing the Lions over Virginia Tech and nearly 30 other offers.

With the new additions, Penn State’s class is currently ranked sixth in the country by Scout and 10th by Rivals.

up next

Temple at No. 5 Penn State

noon Saturday

Beaver Stadium in State College

TV: Big Ten Network