By GENARO C. ARMAS
AP Sports Writer

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) --  Lost in the hoopla over Ohio State
quarterback Terrelle Pryor's trip home to Pennsylvania this
weekend is the story of how Penn State found its own
signal-caller in the Buckeyes' backyard.

Cool in the pocket and confident in the locker room, Youngstown,
Ohio-native Daryll Clark has turned into a star with the No. 11
Nittany Lions (8-1, 4-1 Big Ten).

Pryor's visit Saturday to Beaver Stadium will be his first since
signing with No. 15 Ohio State (7-2, 4-1) more than 18 months
ago to end a heated recruiting race. Still, things have turned
out just fine in Happy Valley.

"I've tried to say time and time again ... I think Daryll Clark
has been an outstanding performer for us," Penn State coach Joe
Paterno said this week before adding his signature phrase
reserved for his favorite Nittany Lions.

"Daryll Clark is one heck of a football player."

Penn State is 19-3 since Clark took over as the starter in 2008.
Clark's 37 career touchdown passes are four shy of tying the
school record, and his 20 rushing touchdowns ties him with
mentor Michael Robinson for most TDs on the ground by a Nittany
Lions QB.

And to think, just two years ago, hardcore Penn State fans were
giddy about pursuing Pryor, the quarterback phenom out of
Jeannette, Pa.

What was not to love about Pryor?

A 6-foot-6 phenom from a western Pennsylvania region known as
the Cradle of Quarterbacks for producing the likes of Dan
Marino, Joe Montana and Joe Namath, Pryor was the only player in
state high school history to rush for more than 4,000 yards and
throw for more than 4,000 in a career.

In contrast, Clark was a mid-level recruit upon graduating from
Ursuline High in Youngstown in 2004.

"Clark was a completely under-the-radar kind of guy," said Mark
Brennan, the editor of FightonState.com, which covers Penn State
recruiting. "People knew about him, but he was not the kind of
five-star, all-everything prospect that Pryor was."

After spending a year in prep school to brush up on grades,
Clark joined the Nittany Lions in 2006, the first of two seasons
backing up Anthony Morelli - himself a highly touted QB from
western Pennsylvania.

The Pryor recruiting sweepstakes followed the next year. Clark
helped out trying to lure a prospect who could potentially
leapfrog him on the depth chart.

"That was kind of a difficult time for him. ... He felt a little
uncomfortable," Clark's father, Daryll Clark, Sr., said in a
phone interview. "But he handled it well. He played his part."

The ending is well-known now in Big Ten circles. Pryor couldn't
make a choice by the February 2008 date that opened the formal
signing period, and took about another month before deciding on
Ohio State over Penn State, Michigan and Oregon.

But that still didn't clear the way for Clark in Happy Valley.
Also on the Penn State roster at the time was highly touted
sophomore Pat Devlin, who had set the Pennsylvania career prep
passing record with 8,162 yards at Downingtown East.

Clark finally secured the starting job after outplaying Devlin
in 2008 preseason camp. Clark may not have the explosive running
ability that Robinson had, but he is the more polished passer
with the ability to scramble out of trouble and bowl over
defenders if needed.

"Offensively they have the blessing of having a very veteran
quarterback who you've seen grow as each year's gone," Ohio
State coach Jim Tressel said.

There have been some knocks on Clark, as expected with the
high-profile job of Penn State starting quarterback.

Most notably, some critics or columnists will point out that
Clark has faltered in some big games. Arguably his two worst
performances of his career have come in losses to Iowa in
September and last season.

He threw two picks in the final three minutes of the Rose Bowl
loss last season against Southern California as Penn State tried
to rally from a back from a 24-point deficit.

Clark was mostly ineffective before being knocked out in the
third quarter of last season's win at Ohio State because of a
concussion. Devlin ran for the go-ahead touchdown in relief.

Recruiting-wise though, Clark's emergence and Devlin's transfer
last year seems to have made it easier for Penn State to land
dual-threat prospects, said Mike Farrell, an analyst with
Rivals.com. Touted freshman Kevin Newsome is now Clark's backup,
and Penn State has verbal commitments from two prized recruits
in next year's class.

Depending on how those prospects pan out, "losing Pryor might
not hurt them at all," Farrell said.

Instead of tutoring Pryor as a teammate, Clark will be facing
him Saturday.

Pryor, a sophomore, would like nothing better than to atone for
his fourth-quarter fumble last season against the Nittany Lions
that set up Devlin's score. A good outing could placate critics
who blame Pryor for Ohio State's struggles, as well as silence
Penn State fans expected to shower him with taunts.

"I'm sure they're going to be giving me a lot of stuff, saying a
lot of things, but I won't hear any of it," Pryor said last
weekend after a 45-0 rout of New Mexico State.

Clark, a senior, would like to play well in his last game
against his home-state rivals, and get his team back to the BCS.
His proud father will be in the stands to root him on.

"People in this area, us being from Ohio, a lot of people that
know us and our family, they want the Buckeyes to win," Clark's
father said, 'but they want Daryll to do well."