Penn State blasts Spartans, 42-14

Daryll Clark won't be missed by Michigan State fans, as the senior quarterback and Penn State overcame a slow start Saturday night in East Lansing to pound the Spartans 42-14. In two career games against Michigan State, Clark has thrown for 650 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions.

The Nittany Lions earned their 10th win of the season, and made a big statement for BCS bowl scouts looking at Penn State for a possible at-large bid.

But despite the final score, for nearly two full quarters, the battle for the Land Grant Trophy was a slugfest, with both teams held off the scoreboard until Penn State scored with 2:10 left in before halftime. Clark found a wide open Andrew Quarless for a 29-yard catch and run into the end zone, as Michigan State's secondary, which had shown some promise early, failed to stop Penn State's pass attack the rest of the game.

Clark finished the night by breaking Penn State records for career passing touchdowns (42), single season pass touchdowns (23), and single season pass yardage (2,770).

Michigan State was able to tie the game at seven going into halftime, putting together its best drive of the night, going 87 yards in only eight plays, capped by a reaching touchdown grab by tight end Charlie Gantt.

But the tie wouldn't last long after the teams trotted out of the locker rooms for the second half. True freshman wide receiver Curtis Drake -- a quarterback in high school -- took an end around from Clark, ran three steps, the lofted a pass into the end zone for Quarless. Penn State's scoring drive would only take three plays to go 66 yards, though 15 of those yards came courtesy of a Michigan State penalty. The score would launch a 28-0 run by the Nittany Lions in the third quarter, effectively ending any chance for the Spartans to pull the upset.

Penn State amassed 512 total yards on offense, while holding Michigan State to only 333 yards, which included a late touchdown bomb by the Spartans that gained 71 yards.

The Nittany Lions came into the game with the lingering sour taste of four first-half turnovers against Indiana the previous week, but would leave East Lansing error-free on offense, while senior linebacker Sean Lee and safety Nick Sukay each picked off a Spartan pass.

Junior linebacker Navorro Bowman -- possible first round 2010 NFL Draft pick -- led Penn State's defense with another spectacular game, logging a team-high 10 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss (minus-17 yards), a pass breakup and a sack.

With the victory, Penn State locked up a tie with Iowa for second place in the Big Ten. Northwestern's upset of Wisconsin helps to narrow Penn State's competition for an at-large BCS selection to just the Hawkeyes. Ohio State beat Michigan to claim the outright Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl berth.

The Nittany Lions are looking at possible bowl bids in the Orange, Fiesta, Capital One, or Outback Bowls. For Penn State, it will be the fourth January bowl game in five seasons.