Bernard Fernandez: The Nittany Line: Penn State's Clark adjusting to more traditional QB role

IT HAS BEEN quite a metamorphosis for Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark, who in 21 months has gone from mostly runner to almost exclusively passer.

Oh, there is always the possibility that sometime this season, by chance or design, the 6-3, 232-pound Clark might take off for the sort of long gain he once routinely produced. But it is more likely that Clark's mobility will be restricted to modest rollouts to evade opposing pass rushers who no longer consider him much of a threat to run. Clark is evidently too valuable to the fifth-ranked Nittany Lions to risk the sort of hits that led to his concussion in the Ohio State game last season.

How the fifth-year senior from Youngstown, Ohio, is utilized in tomorrow night's nationally televised Big Ten Conference opener against Iowa in Beaver Stadium should provide at least a clue as to what restrictions will be placed upon him for the remainder of the season.

"We're trying to win the football game," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said when asked whether Clark ever again will showcase his full complement of talents. "If that means we have to run Clark, we'll probably run him.

"But he's awfully valuable to this football team, and I don't want to get careless and start making him a single-wing tailback. He's a quarterback. We're certainly not looking forward to running him much. But if we had to, we could."

If JoePa's take sounds a bit vague, Clark understands that his days of playing quarterback the punishing, physical way he once did are over. All-Big Ten QBs are to be protected like gold at Fort Knox, especially if their backups are a couple of freshmen with virtually no game experience.

Put it this way: If Daryll Clark is not the Big Ten's best player, he is arguably its most irreplaceable.

"I don't really want to say it limits me," Clark said of his conversion to a more conventional pocket passer. "Eventually, we're going to start to run the quarterback, just to give the defense we're playing against a different look.

"But as long as the run blocking is going well, there's no need to use me as a runner. That doesn't mean there won't be some times when I have to scramble and make some plays with my feet."

If Penn State does choose to expand its playbook to use the quarterback on designed running plays, that role likely will be filled by true freshman Kevin Newsome, a 6-2, 220-pounder who greatly resembles the player Clark was before his coming-out party in the Alamo Bowl against Texas A & M on Dec. 29, 2007.

Two-year starter Anthony Morelli, a pure pocket passer, was having difficulty getting the Nits going after they fell behind, 14-0, in the first quarter. That opened the door for a change-of-pace quarterback to help swing the momentum. Clark, who had played sparingly throughout the season, provided a much-needed spark, rushing for 50 yards on only six carries, including an 11-yard touchdown.

Heading into preseason camp in 2008, the perception was that the quarterback competition would feature Clark, perceived as the better runner, and Pat Devlin, who supposedly had the NFL-caliber arm. Clark won, and quickly showed he was a dual threat, passing for 2,592 yards and 19 touchdowns and rushing for 282 yards and 10 TDs. Opposing defenders had to be constantly aware of Clark's proclivity for scooting up the middle on quarterback draws or even sliding down the line of scrimmage on option plays.

Devlin transferred to Delaware last December, and Clark entered this season backed only by the skilled but very raw Newsome and redshirt freshman Matt McGloin. Concerns about Clark's health rose almost immediately, when he twice had his helmet knocked off in the Akron game, on more or less the same play that left him dazed and confused against Ohio State in 2008.

Clark insists he's all right with the current arrangement because "we have a great running back" in Evan Royster, whose duties have expanded even as Clark's have been constricted. Royster occasionally will line up as a slot receiver, giving defenses a different look and keeping them guessing.

Still, Clark said, only about 70 percent of the Penn State playbook has been utilized through the first three games. With Iowa - which dealt the Nits their only regular-season loss a year ago - providing the opposition in the Big Ten opener, some new plays could appear.

Such as Clark taking off on a designed end sweep on a crucial third-and-short?

"You never know," Clark said. "We've shown a type of spread. At times we've been in the power-I. But we really haven't revealed that much, I don't think. We have a collection of plays we only bring out if they're going to work against the defense we're playing."

* Clark still blames himself for last season's 24-23 loss at Iowa, and not only because of the late interception that opened the door for the Hawkeyes' winning drive.

"There's nothing that anyone can tell me to make me believe it wasn't my fault," Clark said. "There were plays where I should have thrown to the hot [receiver] and didn't. Instead, I took a sack. I wasn't very accurate. There were plays I should have made that I did not make."

A sputtering start with more of the same sort of mistakes could send Clark into the sort of funk he and the Nits don't need. If he comes out in the groove, it could give Penn State a huge early lift.

* Left tackle Dennis Landolt has assumed the leadership role along the offensive line that seniors Rich Ohrnberger and A.Q. Shipley shared a year ago. If Landolt and his sense of cool help keep the rest of the o-line loose and relaxed, that will go a long way to opening holes for tailback Evan Royster and keeping Clark's jersey clean.

* Free safety Drew Astorino at times can be beaten in pass coverage, but he's a hole-filling terror on run support, and he almost never fails to make a tackle in the open field.

Who: Iowa at No. 5 Penn State

When: Tomorrow, 8 p.m.

Where: Beaver Stadium, State College

TV: ABC (Channel 6)

Radio: WNTP-AM (990); WPNV-AM (1440)

Records: Iowa 3-0, 0-0 Big Ten; Penn State 3-0, 0-0

History: The Nittany Lions lead the series, 11-10, but have lost six of the last seven meetings, including last season's 24-23 heartbreaker on a last-second Hawkeyes field goal. That defeat likely kept Penn State out of the BCS national championship game.

Coaches: Kirk Ferentz (11th season at Iowa, 73-53; 14th season overall, 85-74); Joe Paterno (44th season at Penn State, 386-127-3)

Iowa update: Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. The Hawkeyes preserved their season-opening, 17-16 squeaker over upset-minded Northern Iowa by blocking two field goal attempts in the final 7 seconds, the second after an offsides penalty on Iowa gave NIU another, closer chance ... Road-grading LT Bryan Bulaga, an All-Big Ten selection in 2008, again likely won't play because of an undisclosed illness. Ferentz dismissed reports that Bulaga, who hasn't practiced since Sept. 8, remains sidelined because of an infected tattoo ... Even if starting TE Tony Moeaki (ankle) can't go, keep an eye on his backup, Allen Reisner. The Hawkeyes always involve their tight ends in the passing game ... DB Tyler Sash, whose interception opened the door for the Hawkeyes' winning drive against Penn State last season, already has four picks this year ... He might not be cherished by his own team's fans, but Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi gets high marks from Penn State coach Joe Paterno: "He's not flashy, but he's a coach's quarterback. He does what he's supposed to do, knows what's going on, takes advantage of opportunities."

Penn State update: The Nittany Lions have allowed no more than seven points in each of their three games this season. The last time the Nits did that was 1996, when they opened with four such games ... Senior LB Sean Lee, who might or might not play against Iowa with a sprained left knee, has 7 1/2 of the team's 29 tackles for loss ... Avoiding mistakes - foolish penalties, careless turnovers - was stressed by the coaching staff this week.

Penn State 27, Iowa 20.