bbIt’s not like Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark needs any extra motivation to beat Ohio State on Saturday. It’s the biggest game of his career, it will almost certainly determine the Big Ten champion and a loss would knock the unbeaten, third-ranked Nittany Lions out of the national championship picture. In addition, Clark hails from Youngstown, Ohio and was not recruited very hard by the Buckeyes.

But Clark did give a brief glimpse into his feelings about PSU’s unsuccessful recruitment last spring of a certain big-time quarterback prospect out of Western Pennsylvania. Terrelle Pryor ended up signing with Ohio State and will be Clark’s counterpart on Saturday at Ohio Stadium.

When Pryor picker OSU over Penn State (and Michigan), he said that State college was too rural for his tastes. He also mentioned that the lack of a succession plan for 81-year-old head coach Joe Paterno was an issue.

“I don't like that place,” he said of Happy Valley last March. “It's the country.”

On Wednesday, Clark certainly didn’t sound all that disappointed that Pryor spurned the Lions and ended up in Columbus.

“I resented (the comment about State College) being country and whatnot,” Clark said. “But that’s his though of this place. He decided to go to another school and it’s working out for him.

“I don’t have any bad blood. I went to one of (Pryor's) basketball games and talked to him after the game to try to get him to come here. He had other plans. You can only tell him what you want to tell him and the rest is up to him. He made his decision, and I can’t say it’s a bad one. He’s playing right now as a true freshman and doing well.”

It also worked out pretty well for PSU with Clark at the helm and Pat Devlin as a solid back-up. And Paterno is always talking up No. 3 Paul Cianciolo. Who knows what would have happened if Pryor had been added to an already crowded situation? – NEIL GEOGHEGAN.