Daryll Clark let out a sigh after each missed opportunity Saturday as he grew frustrated with his newest recievers and their frequent mistakes.

But instead of throwing the pigskin to his Nittany Lion teammates, Penn State's quarterback was tossing an orange football around with several kids and jokingly chiding them for every drop.

Clark and roughly 25 of his teammates attended a carnival Saturday morning to benefit an Easter Seals preschool that assists children with physical or mental handicaps.

Senior cornerback Knowledge Timmons and former Penn State player Willie Harriott came up with the carnival as part of an internship.

"We decided we wanted to give back to the community," Timmons said. "We're just trying to do stuff for the kids and community before we get back to camp."

All of the Easter Seals kids who attended the event received one of Timmons' number four jerseys signed by all the players in attendance, donated by The Family Clothesline. Aside from the jerseys, the players signed posters and footballs while posing for pictures and playing games with the children.

Harriott said the idea for the carnival started as a cookout with the team, but he and Timmons wanted to help someone out at the same time. Associate Athletic Director for Football Administration Fran Ganter suggested Easter Seals, which had been trying to schedule an event with the football team for some time, Harriott said.

"We didn't want do the easy way to get an 'A,' " Harriott said. "Our major is based on event planning, so why not use what we've learned to give the community the opportunity to see something they want."

Clark said having so many players come out, including many freshmen, was a positive sign for the team. The quarterback held court at a table, joking with teammates and entertaining kids with autographs and pictures.

Linebacker Navorro Bowman said Timmons asked the other players after a workout if they would help out. The players were eager to join in after seeing a chance to get away from football right before camp and give back to their fans.

"I was on board -- I just wanted to find out what day it was," Clark said. "There's nothing more satisfying than the kids and putting a smile on their face after a picture or sitting down to play Connect Four."

With camp starting Monday and the season looming, the chances for the players to get out and meet their fans will be scarce. Timmons and Harriott want to have the carnival continue as a yearly event and were happy with Saturday's turnout.

"This is what we usually don't get to see because we're flying back and forth and the schedule is hectic," Harriott said. "We made it a family fun day where you can see the football players and get autographs and jerseys. Hopefully in the years to come, it will be what we want it to be."