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Penn State Football: Updated top five all-time quarterbacks

By Collin Wieder

MIAMI GARDENS, FL - JANUARY 3: Quarterback Michael Robinson #12 of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks to pass during the 72nd Fed Ex Orange Bowl against the Florida State Seminoles at Dolphins Stadium on January 3, 2005 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Penn State defeated Florida State 26-23 in triple overtime. (Photo by: Doug Benc/Getty Images)
MIAMI GARDENS, FL - JANUARY 3: Quarterback Michael Robinson #12 of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks to pass during the 72nd Fed Ex Orange Bowl against the Florida State Seminoles at Dolphins Stadium on January 3, 2005 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Penn State defeated Florida State 26-23 in triple overtime. (Photo by: Doug Benc/Getty Images) /
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PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 01: Quarterback Daryll Clark #17 of the Penn State Nittany Lions throws a pass against the USC Trojans during the 95th Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi on January 1, 2009 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 01: Quarterback Daryll Clark #17 of the Penn State Nittany Lions throws a pass against the USC Trojans during the 95th Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi on January 1, 2009 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) /

Honorable Mention: Daryll Clark

Underrated and under appreciated quarterback Daryll Clark fell just short of making the top five. At a time when the Big Ten didn’t have much of an identity, Penn State gave them a respectable program. Clark became the catalyst and leader behind Penn State’s late 2000s resurgence.

Clark didn’t light up defenses with huge numbers, but he was always highly efficient. He brought a running back-type ground attack at the quarterback spot and got the ball into the hands of his playmakers.

Penn State’s HD spread offense didn’t need him to throw 50 times a game or make a ton of plays downfield. However, he showed he could push the ball at times. Between Clark, Evan Royster, Jordan Norwood, Deon Butler, Derrick Williams and Andrew Quarless, this offense had it all.

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In Clark’s two-year stint, he put up all the production necessary to seal up a spot. He threw for more 5,500 yards, compiled a 43-to-16, TD-to-INT ratio while completing 60 percent of his passes. On the ground, he rushed for nearly 600 yards and 17 touchdowns in the same era.

Also, Clark was a proven winner with a 22-4 win-loss record. He brought home the team’s first Big Ten title since Michael Robinson’s year. The only reason he wasn’t higher was basically because of Iowa. He lost both years to the Hawkeyes and drastically underperformed in both losses

Nevertheless, his label of “not winning the big game” isn’t necessarily true. Clark blew out No. 17 Michigan State to clinch a Rose bowl bid throwing for 341 yards and four touchdowns. He also finished his career with a game-winning drive against a ranked LSU squad in the Capital One Bowl.

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