WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Swinging his helmet by his side as he walked off the field Saturday, Daryll Clark looked like a man without a care in the world -- no problems to deal with, no decisions to make.
Clark was alone as he frolicked, allowing him a moment of reverie.
"Way to win on the road, baby," Clark said to himself. "Way to win on the road, baby."
Earlier, Clark was the busiest man inside Ross-Ade Stadium as he quarterbacked Penn State to a 20-6 win over Purdue. The leader of the Nittany Lion offense led Penn State to its first road win in the conference this season. The victory was also Clark's first test on the road against a Big Ten foe.
Clark -- originally pegged as a run-first quarterback -- was efficient throwing the football against the Boilermakers. He completed 18-of-26 passes for 220 yards. Clark threw the ball from the shotgun, after short and long dropbacks and on designed quarterback-rollouts to the right and left sides of the field.
On the bootlegs, Clark bought time and it looked like he would run for the first downs. He would roll to either the left or the right, speed up, away from a Purdue defender but then find an open receiver and pull the trigger.
"All the time, when I get asked, 'What would you rather do, run in on a touchdown, or throw one?' And I'd rather throw one," Clark said. "You have to be able to throw the ball in the Big Ten, you can't just rely on your legs."
The Youngstown, Ohio native used his legs to score a touchdown on a second quarter quarterback keeper. He also generated 18 yards rushing on nine carries. But Clark shredded Purdue's defense with his arm and his last-second decision making, hitting six different receivers on the day.
Clark bootlegged in the third quarter with open field in front of him. He could have ran for substantial gain, but Clark kept his eyes downfield and found Graham Zug along the sideline for a 23-yard play.
When deciding whether to pass the ball or tuck it and run, Clark said he chose to throw too late on some plays, which led to incompletions. By the time Clark threw, he had run out of space to deliver an accurate ball.
"When in doubt, you know, I always can run, but I have faith in my receivers and I have faith in my arm to get the ball to where it needs to be," Clark said. "And there were times today I could've ran, but there were some times I threw it a little late and the wideouts ended up catching the ball out of bounds, my fault."
Senior wideout Deon Butler made one of the game's toughest catches -- a last-minute, tip-toeing snag along the sideline -- and said he's noticed Clark's tendency to throw has increased over the last couple of games.
Butler said after the game Clark is always looking to throw the ball, even when the quarterback could outrun the majority of defenders.
"I often tell him every now and then, 'Yo, don't forget what makes you so dangerous, that you can take off and scramble,' " Butler said. "As long as he's completing passes, I think he's doing a great job back there in the pocket making decisions."
