by Bruce Hooley, Special to FOXSports.com

Well, that's another matter.

While Clark, the Lions' quarterback the last two seasons, owns a 19-3 record in games started and is in range of becoming the school's career leader in touchdown passes and rushing TDs by a quarterback, he doesn't have one singular moment by which he'll be remembered.

Not a positive one, any way.

That could change Saturday, when Ohio State comes to Beaver Stadium for a Big Ten title elimination game.

The loser is out of the race, since both teams are 4-1 in league play and Iowa is 5-0 and presumably capable of losing no more than once with a schedule that includes home games against Northwestern and Minnesota around a trip to OSU.

Daryll Clark's last game against the Buckeyes landed him on the sideline with a concussion. (Jamie Sabau / Getty Images)

Penn State's lone loss came earlier this year at home against Iowa. The Nittany Lions' only regular-season failure last season was on a trip to Kinnick Stadium.

Those games — in which Clark committed a collective five turnovers — are what suffice for his epitaph so far.

What about Penn State's win at Ohio State last season, the Lions' first triumph in Columbus since joining the Big Ten in 1993?

Clark can't claim that one all to himself, because he left the field with a fourth-quarter concussion and his team trailing 6-3.

Backup quarterback Pat Devlin, who has since transferred, led two late scoring drives to make the difference.

What most people remember about Clark that night was him stomping the sidelines, apparently perturbed not to be in the game.

"That's what it definitely looked like," Clark said. "I really don't remember any of those things that I was doing. I was yelling and screaming. I guess I was really upset because they wouldn't give me my helmet. There's still a period of that game where I do not remember."

He was never the same quarterback after that last season, throwing a crippling interception and fumbling on the goal line two weeks later at Iowa, then committing two more turnovers in a 38-24 Rose Bowl loss to USC.

Noticing a trend yet?

The losses to Iowa, the call to the bullpen against Ohio State and the first-half meltdown vs. USC leave Clark holding onto a couple wins over Michigan as his signature moments.

There are eras when that would be a decent legacy, but this is not one of those times.

A loss to Ohio State on Saturday and Clark could be left with a whole lot of wins over the Mid-American Conference and the likes of Temple and Eastern Illinois to kick back and enjoy some day in his La-Z-Boy.

Should make for some riveting tales to tell the grandkids.

"I don't really pay attention to those things," Clark said. "When you fall into that kind of trap, you're focusing on the wrong things. You have to do what you can to focus on football, what the coaches want you to do, how they want you to prepare. Focus on winning the game.

"If you buy into people waiting for you to win a big game, if you fall into that trap, that's something you should not focus on. I haven't done that and I don't plan on doing that. I play for this football team, for the coaches, for my teammates, for the loyal fans, for my family. That's it."

Clark's position coach, Jay Paterno, makes a bold evaluation of the fifth-year senior who leads the Big Ten in passing efficiency (149.3), ranks second in passing (239.8 yards per-game) and stands third in total offense (256.2 yards per-game).

"I certainly don't think there's anyone better than he is in the country at quarterback right now," the younger Paterno said. "... You're going to have to show me a guy that's doing better than he is and having a better year than he is. I wouldn't trade him for anybody."

Back in early 2008, Clark's profile wasn't so elevated. If it had been, Penn State might not have trotted out head coach Joe Paterno for an extremely rare in-home visit to Jeannette, Pa. and uber-recruit Terrelle Pryor.

Clark did what he was asked to help the Nittany Lions lure a guy who might have taken the job he waited three years to get.

Instead, Pryor is at Ohio State and will start opposite Clark on Saturday.

They were the quarterbacks of record last year, too, when Pryor's fumble early in the fourth quarter set up Penn State at the OSU 38-yard line with a golden opportunity to erase a three-point Buckeyes' lead.

That's when the Lions' team doctors hid Clark's helmet and, as he says now, "I remained a cheerleader for the rest of the game."

There will be plenty of others willing to take that role from him Saturday if Clark keeps playing like he has of late. In his last five games, he's thrown for nine touchdowns, rushed for five more and committed only one turnover.

That leaves him with 37 career TD passes — four shy of the school record — and tied with Michael Robinson for the top spot in school history with 20 scores on the ground.

"At the end of the day, it's Ohio State vs. Penn State. Period," Clark said. "It's not Daryll Clark vs. Terrelle Pryor."

He's partly right, of course.

It is Ohio State vs. Penn State, and it's not Daryll Clark vs. Terrelle Pryor.

But it is Daryll Clark vs. history.