Clark's Heisman quandary; JoePa's presser

Clark and the Heisman

If Daryll Clark gets the invitation to New York City as a finalist–I don't believe he can win it this season, unless several players have complete meltdowns–it could set him up to be labeled as a huge disappointment in 2009. Right now, a few people are tabbing Clark as a legitimate contender for the Heisman. That's great and all, but what will it mean next year, when Penn State loses its best ever trio of wide receivers, and probably the best offensive line in college football?

Gerald Cadogan, AQ Shipley and Rich Ohrnberger will all leave Penn State after this season. Another former starter, and top backup, Mike Lucian, will also move on. Sure, the underclassmen will have the talent and the skills to fill in. But Penn State will not have the kind of dominance up front offensively its enjoyed this year. That could give Clark, and even Evan Royster/Stephfon Green, some trouble next year.

On the perimeter, Derrick Williams, Deon Butler and Jordan Norwood will all not return next year. Through seven games this year, they've accounted for 60 percent (1024 yds) of Penn State's total (1729 yds) receiving yardage. Barring injuries, that percentage will undoubtedly rise by season's end. But it's not just the yardage. Those three receivers' value came to the forefront at Wisconsin, where on several occasions, Clark was forced to make bad throws, only to have a wide out come back and grab the pass. I'm not saying that the backups, like James MacDonald, Kevin Cousins, Brett Brackett, Graham Zug, Derek Moye and Chaz Powell, won't be great wide receivers. You just can't replace Williams, Butler and Norwood overnight.

Clark will most likely enter 2009 as a Heisman favorite, regardless of what happens this year. But when the pundits start hyping players, they always seem to forget about rationality. Penn State will lose a bunch of great players this year, players who were vital cogs in the Nittany Lion offensive machine. And let's not forget about the possibility that Penn State could win a BCS Bowl, or even the National Championship this year. That would send Clark's stock through the roof. But I think the best way to gauge just how good a player is, is Joe Paterno himself. If he starts plugging for Clark, as he did for Larry Johnson, Tamba Hali and Michael Robinson, then we'll know. For now, we can only enjoy watching Clark tear up the opposition.

Joe Paterno's Press Conference

It seems that all 10-gazzillion Penn State blogs are too lazy to get timely reports up about Joe Paterno's presser. Yup, I'm one of them. So, as I see them today, I'll add them here. Check back later!

Also, I'll have the Michigan Preview up tomorrow.