Quarterbacks at center stage in OSU-Penn State game

COLUMBUS - Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark had a lot on his mind last winter.

Not only was he getting ready to battle highly recruited Pat Devlin for the starting quarterback job to replace the graduated Anthony Morelli, he also had to wonder what it meant for him that Penn State was pursuing the country's No. 1-rated quarterback recruit, Terrelle Pryor.

It didn't make it any easier on Clark that Pryor stretched out his decision until mid-March, nearly six week after the national signing day in early February.

When Pryor signed with Ohio State, it meant Clark, a Youngstown Ursuline graduate, only had to look at Pryor one day a year instead of every day.

But that one day - Saturday night when No. 10 Ohio State (7-1, 4-0 Big Ten) takes on No. 3 Penn State (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten) at Ohio Stadium - carries a season's worth of importance for both teams, and maybe both quarterbacks.

Clark (1,531 yards passing, 11 passing touchdown, 8 rushing touchdowns) leads a Penn State team that could be headed for the BCS national championship game if it can win its next four games.

If Ohio State wins the rest of its games, it will become the first team ever to win three straight outright Big Ten titles. And the Buckeyes, who were ninth in the first BCS rankings, could also hope to sneak into a third straight national championship game.

Pryor (653 yards passing and 411 yards rushing) became a starter five games ago when Ohio State retooled its offense and adjusted its season goals after a 35-3 pounding by Southern California.

"We knew Daryll real well," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said at his weekly press on Tuesday, when asked if he recruited the Penn State quarterback.

In the end, though, Clark chose from among offers from Penn State, West Virginia and Toledo. After spending a year in a prep school and taking the ACT six times, he waited until his fourth year at Penn State to get a chance to start.

After his first eight games as a starter, the question might be why did he have to wait that long?

"He's talented, you wonder why you haven't seen him the last couple years," Ohio State linebacker Marcus Freeman said after Tressel's press conference. "He's a guy who is going to present huge problems for our team, as he has for the teams he's played this year. As he goes is how their offense goes and you try to affect him."

Tressel compared Clark to former Penn State QB Michael Robinson. But it might be more accurate to say Robinson was a runner who also could pass, while Clark is a passer who also can run.

While OSU's Pryor has been tough to stop on the run, he is still in the process of proving himself in the passing game. His best game in terms of passing yards is 144 yards against Wisconsin.

Tressel said Pennsylvania native Pryor will be ready for the challenge of the big game against the team that finished runner-up in his recruitment.

"I'm sure he's excited. He loves the big stage and the big challenge. He watches that film. He sees how good they are. He knows he's from there," Tressel said.

Penn State Joe Paterno sized up Pryor this way at his weekly press conference on Tuesday:

"I think he is a heckuva player right now. I think he's got everything to be a great player. He's a good kid, he's got a lot of poise, he handles pressure, not only on the field but off the field. He knows what's going on and each week he's getting better."