Nov. 22, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - A pair of Nittany Lion standouts who were instrumental in Penn State's 42-14 win at Michigan State on Saturday have been honored by the Big Ten Conference.
Junior linebacker Navorro Bowman (District Heights, Md.) was selected Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week and senior quarterback Daryll Clark (Youngstown, Ohio) was selected the conference's Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season.
Bowman joins Iowa's Adrian Claybourn as the Big Ten's only players to be named Defensive Player of the Week multiple times this season. Bowman shares this week's honor with Hawkeye linebacker Troy Johnson.
Clark is the conference's only three-time Offensive Player of the Week honoree this year. The 2008 first team All-Big Ten quarterback has five career conference weekly honors. He shares this week's honor with Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka.
Bowman recorded 10 tackles (seven solo), with 3.5 TFL (minus-17), a sack and a pass break-up to lead another superb defensive effort in East Lansing. He tied a team season-high for TFLs in a game with 3.5, matching Jared Odrick's total from the Eastern Illinois game. Bowman posted his ninth career double figure tackle game.
For the season, Bowman leads the Nittany Lions with 15.5 TFL (minus-55), despite missing nearly three full games with an injury at the start of the season. His 1.55 TFL per game average leads all the nation's linebackers and he is tied for No. 9 nationally in TFL, according to the latest NCAA statistics.
A semifinalist for the Bednarik Award and an All-America candidate, Bowman is second on the team with 84 tackles, good for No. 7 in the Big Ten in tackles per game (8.4 avg.). In addition to his 15.5 TFL, Bowman has three sacks, two fumble recoveries, two interceptions and three pass break-ups. The former Suitland High School All-American returned an interception 73 yards for a touchdown vs. Indiana and returned a fumble 91 yards for a score vs. Eastern Illinois.
Clark was sensational in leading the Nittany Lions to the Land Grant Trophy win, including a 28-point outburst in the third quarter to break open a 7-7 contest. He was 19 of 27 (70.4) for 310 yards, with four touchdowns and no interceptions. The 310 yards were the third-highest in his career. He threw a career-high four touchdown passes vs. Michigan State for the second consecutive year, with scoring strikes of 29, 30, 32, and 27 yards. He also threw four TD passes at Michigan on Oct. 24.
In the third quarter, Clark was 6 of 6 for 130 yards, with touchdown passes to Joe Suhey and Graham Zug (two). He threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Quarless in the second period. Penn State improved to 12-1 when Clark throws for more than 200 yards.
A two-time semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien Award, Clark continued his assault on the Penn State record books vs. MSU. He broke the school record for career touchdown passes with 42 and the Penn State mark for touchdown passes in a season with 23, breaking the mark held by Todd Blackledge (22) since 1982. Clark also broke the Penn State record for season passing yardage with 2,787 yards. The old mark was 2,679 by All-American Kerry Collins in 1994.
For the season, the former Ursuline High School standout is 214 of 346 (61.8) for 2,787 yards, with 23 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also has rushed for 191 yards and seven touchdowns.
Clark finished the regular season as the Big Ten's pass efficiency leader with a 145.67 rating. He led the conference with 23 touchdown passes, good for a tie for No. 8 nationally. Clark is the only Big Ten quarterback ranked in the top four of the primary three categories (pass efficiency, 1st, 145.67; total offense, 3rd, 248.2 ypg; passing yardage, 4th, 232, ypg).
Bowman and Clark's recognitions mark the sixth and seventh times this season a Nittany Lion has been selected Big Ten Player of the Week. Senior linebacker Sean Lee and senior punter Jeremy Boone also have been honored this year.
Penn State (10-2, 6-2) concluded its regular season with the win over the Spartans, posting Coach Joe Paterno's all-time Football Bowl Subdivision record 21st season with at least 10 victories. The No. 13 Nittany Lions are 50-13 (79.3) since the start of the 2005 season, the nation's No. 8 winning percentage over that span. Penn State is awaiting the destination and opponent for its 36th bowl game under Paterno, who is the all-time leader in post-season appearances and victories (23).