Oct. 13, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; - Two of the players instrumental in Penn State's 48-7 victory at Wisconsin on Saturday night have been honored by the Big Ten Conference.
Quarterback Daryll Clark (Youngstown, Ohio) was selected Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week and defensive end Aaron Maybin (Ellicott City, Md.) was named the conference's Co-Defensive Player of the Week. He shares the honor with Minnesota's Willie VanDeSteeg.
The conference honors are the first for Clark and Maybin, who become the fourth and fifth Nittany Lions to be recognized by the Big Ten this season.
The Big Ten also announced today that Oct. 25 Penn State at Ohio State game will be an ABC national telecast at 8:00 p.m. ET.
In his first year as the Nittany Lions' starter, Clark delivered another strong performance, throwing for a career-high 244 yards and a touchdown and running for a pair of scores in the big win in Madison. He was 16 of 25, with a 44-yard touchdown pass to Deon Butler and just his second interception of the season. A junior, Clark ran for a two-yard score with 1:24 left in the first half for a 24-7 lead at the break.
Clark opened the second half by directing Penn State to three scoring drives to push the lead to 41-7. On the first drive, he was 4 of 4 passing for 54 yards and his four-yard touchdown run made it 31-7. On the Lions' next drive, he was 3 of 4 for 90 yards, hitting Butler on a 44-yard score.
Clark is directing an offense that leads the Big Ten in three of the four primary categories, ranking in the top 15 nationally. Penn State is averaging 235.14 rushing yards per game (1st/12th), 482.1 total yards (1st, 9th) and 45.29 points per game (1st/7th). The Nittany Lions are averaging 247.0 passing yards, good for third in the conference and 31st nationally.
For the season, Clark is 96 of 149 (64.4) for 1,360 yards, with 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He leads the Big Ten and is No. 11 in the nation in passing efficiency with a rating of 160.6. The former Ursuline High School standout is third on the squad with 145 rushing yards and has six rushing touchdowns.
A sophomore making just his fifth career start, Maybin led another superlative defensive performance, limiting the Badgers to just seven points, 148 rushing yards and forcing a season-high four turnovers. Wisconsin came into the game averaging 28.8 points per game and 210.6 yards on the ground.
Maybin was all over the field making plays, as he recorded six tackles (five solo), a career-high 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack for minus-12 yards, two forced fumbles and a pass break-up. Maybin made one of the key plays in the game, as he stripped quarterback Allan Evridge, with linebacker Josh Hull recovering the fumble at the UW 16 with 1:32 left in the first half. Two plays later Clark scored from two yards out to push the Penn State lead to 24-7.
For the season, Maybin has 29 tackles (20 solo), with 12.5 TFL (minus-63), eight sacks (minus-56), two forced fumbles and two pass break-ups. He is tied the first in the nation with eight solo sacks and tied for No. 6 in total sacks with 1.14 per game. The former Mount Hebron High School standout also is tied for first in the nation with his 12.5 minus-yardage plays. Maybin leads the Big Ten in total sacks and TFL.
Penn State leads the Big Ten in three of the four primary defensive categories. The Nittany Lions are permitting just 89.9 rushing yards (1st/11th), 259.3 total yards (1st/8th), and pass efficiency defense with a 93.95 rating (1st/7th). Penn State is allowing just 11.0 points per game, good for second in the Big Ten and No. 7 in the nation.
Coach Joe Paterno's squad is 7-0 (3-0 Big Ten), ranked No. 3 and hosts Michigan on Saturday for Penn State's 89th Homecoming game. Kickoff is at 4:30 p.m. and the clash will air on ESPN, the Penn State Sports Network and GoPSUsports.com.