UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Quarterback Daryll Clark isn't the best one to ask about Penn State's rare victory at Ohio State last season.

"There is still a period of that football game that I don't remember," he said yesterday.

Clark was hit in the head on a 7-yard run late in the third quarter when he collided with Ohio State defensive tackles Nader Abdallah and Cameron Heyward.

Clark played seven more snaps before being replaced by backup Pat Devlin.

"I remember I had blacked out after the two series that I had and I was playing through it because I didn't want to come off the football field," Clark recalled. "When I got to the sideline and sat down and got on the headset, that's all I can remember.

"The next time I came to, [Ohio State quarterback Terrelle] Pryor had just fumbled the ball and we had the ball. ... I was thinking that I was still in the game, that I was still the quarterback."

Devlin, who has since transferred to Division I-AA Delaware, replaced Clark in the fourth quarter with the Nittany Lions trailing 6-3. Devlin engineered two scoring drives in the final 6:25, rallying Penn State to a 13-6 victory.

Clark's record as the Lions' quarterback is listed as 19-3, but it's really 18-3.

Penn State officials give Clark credit for that win last season in Columbus, Ohio, but it's Devlin who deserved to be credited with the victory.

"A win's a win and whatnot," Clark said. "Ideally, you want to finish the football game, but we were able to win it. I'm planning on playing all four quarters this game."

That game aside, Clark is 2-1 in his career against ranked teams. The 6-foot-3, 232-pound senior will get another shot at the Buckeyes Saturday when No. 11 Penn State (8-1, 4-1 Big Ten) squares off against No. 15 Ohio State (7-2, 4-1) at Beaver Stadium.

A victory against the Buckeyes would give the Lions the inside track on a BCS game.

And it would go a long way toward defining Clark's legacy, which until now includes two ugly losses to unranked Iowa teams and a sobering setback to Southern California in the Rose Bowl.

"It's a very big game," Clark said. "We've been waiting on this one for a while."

Wide receiver Derek Moye believes Clark, who played at Ursuline High School in Youngstown, Ohio, has even more motivation than usual.

"I think he might have a little chip on his shoulder being from Ohio and not getting an offer from Ohio State," Moye said.

Clark, the reigning All-Big Ten first-team quarterback, just can't escape the hoopla surrounding Pryor, the former Jeannette High School star who has struggled in his sophomore season despite being tabbed as the Big Ten's preseason offensive player of the year.

Both quarterbacks are looking for their first win against a ranked team this year.

"You answer the questions and talk about how you feel about it, but at the end of the day, it's Ohio State vs. Penn State. Period," Clark said. "It's not Daryll Clark vs. Terrelle Pryor.

"We're not going to play that type of chess match. That's not what it's about. He's going against our defense and I'm going against theirs. We'll see what happens that way."

Since imploding in the 21-10 loss Sept. 26 to Iowa, Clark and the Lions have reeled off five consecutive wins.

He has completed 89 of 134 passes for 1,200 yards and 9 touchdowns. He has thrown only one interception in that stretch and rushed for five touchdowns.

Pryor's past four games have not been so great. He has completed 46 of 92 passes with 5 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He also has been sacked eight times and suffered an embarrassing loss to Purdue, 26-18.

"I think this is [Clark's] sixth year out of high school, and you can see it," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. "He's in command. You can't just flip a switch to get to that level.

"I'm sure in Daryll's year two, he wasn't there. And I think Terrelle is a little ahead of the curve."

Clark leads the Big Ten in pass efficiency (149.3), ranks second in yardage (239.8 yards per game) and third in total offense (256.2).

"Daryll is the leader of our football team," coach Joe Paterno said. "He is a guy that makes us go."

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