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Penn State quarterback and Ursuline graduate Daryll Clark remembers last year's Ohio State-Penn State game at Ohio Stadium like it was yesterday.

Just not all of it.

There are still parts of the Nittany Lions' 13-6 victory he doesn't remember.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Clark had to leave the game with what coach Joe Paterno described as a "minor head injury." Turns out, the injury was more than minor, it was a concussion.

After Clark was pulled and replaced by Pat Devlin, who finished the game and rallied the Nittany Lions from a three-point deficit, cameras panned to the then-junior quarterback, who seemed angry that he was pulled in favor of the backup. However, Clark wasn't angry. If anything, he was confused by the situation.

"Toward the start of the fourth quarter, I had blacked out after two series," Clark said. "I was trying to play through the injury because I didn't want to be taken out. Then, I came to and we had the ball. I was thinking that I was still in the game. When I watched the film and the TV version, it looked like I was upset. It definitely looked like that. I don't remember anything I was doing. There is still a period I don't remember."

If Clark has his way, he will remember every detail of today's game between the No. 11 Nittany Lions and the No. 15 Buckeyes. Not only is it Clark's final game against the "hometown" Buckeyes, this game will determine which team still has hopes for a Big Ten Conference title.

"Any time you play against a hometown legend like Jim Tressel, it's a big game," Clark said. "This game really means a lot for this football team, so it's just another step for us to move on with our season and to try and cap it off right way."

If Penn State can run the table and finish 11-1, it will be a quality ending to a fantastic career by Clark. This season, the Youngstown native is 166-of-263 passing with 2,158 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

With those numbers, and the fact that Penn State is still in contention for a bid to the Rose Bowl, it's no wonder why Clark's name has been mentioned along the likes of Florida's Tim Tebow and Texas' Colt McCoy as possible Heisman candidates.

"It's definitely an honor to be mentioned amongst those guys," Clark said. "I know it's a popularity and stat thing on who is voted, but it's really nice to be mentioned. I've never been a guy to play for the accolades, as long as we're winning, that's what counts. If I'm in the running, I am. If I'm not, I'm not. As long as we end up 11-1."

The next obstacle toward the goal is Ohio?State, led by quarterback Terrelle Pryor. The sophomore is making his first trip to Beaver Stadium, a venue he almost chose to play in regularly when he was being recruited out of Jeannette, Pa.

But instead of being Clark's heir apparent, Pryor is on the opposite side of the field. But Clark said any relationship the two might have had in the past is now gone. Now, they are just rivals.

"It definitely would have been nice to have him here, he's a tremendous talent and would have been a huge asset," Clark said. "But, I'm a guy on our offense going against an Ohio State defense and he's on their offense going against our defense. That's it."

Clark and the rest of the Nittany Lions will have a lot more to worry about than Pryor when going against the Buckeyes today at 3:30 p.m. The Ohio State defense is allowing just 11.7 points per game and 260 yards. Clark insists that the key for the offense is to work around what the Silver Bullet defense is offering.

"It's really all about what the defense gives you," Clark said. "The one thing we know is that we have to remain patient. They are well-coached on defense and they don't give up the big play. You have to play what they give you and stay ahead of the trend. And, it's important to win the turnovers because they will take advantage of it if you don't take care of the football."

While today's game won't decide the Big Ten championship, it will have an impact on the road to the Rose Bowl.

With both teams sitting on one loss in the conference and Iowa still unbeaten, whichever teams loses is probably out of the race for Pasadena.

But with that riding on the game, and a "Whiteout" planned for the fans, the game will definitely have a championship feel to it, and Clark and knows it.

"We understand the urgency of the football game and how big it is, but it's just another football game," he said. "It's going to be two good teams and it's a rivalry that everyone knows about. It's going to be a slug fest and may the best team win."

dsulonen@tribtoday.com