CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Daryll Clark had to keep the legs churning.
So after he went airborne for a 1-yard score, Clark hopped on the exercise bike, took a swig of water and put on a blue coat and headset as he talked to coach Jay Paterno about the previous drive, which included a 51-yard run on third down.
"My only criticism is he should've scored," Jay Paterno quipped of Clark's career-long rush.
Saturday, the coaches loosened the reigns on Clark, calling more designed quarterback runs and allowing his legs to open up the offense, something head coach Joe Paterno said will continue deeper into the season.
Joe Paterno said Clark hasn't run as much as he did a year ago because of the inexperience of the backup quarterbacks, saying he's "scared to death" Clark will get hurt.
Even after Clark took a shot to the left shoulder on a third-quarter scramble -- prompting freshman Kevin Newsome to loosen up and stand beside Mike McQueary ready to fill-in -- he lowered his shoulder and plowed into the end zone on another 1-yard quarterback sneak.
"I took a pretty good shot and shook it the best way possible," Clark said. "It's all part of the game when you run the rock."
Clark's scrambling ability kept the Illinois defense off-balance, allowing Penn State to gain 338 yards on the ground. It was the team's highest rushing total since 2006, when it ran for 389 yards against Youngstown State.
On Clark's 51-yard quarterback draw, Illinois came with a situation-specific blitz the Nittany Lions recognized.
The blitz opened up the middle of the field, and Clark took off.
"It gives you another dimension," Jay Paterno said of Clark's running ability. "You gotta be careful. You gotta pick your spots. You don't want to run him 15 times, but it does give you an extra dimension, something they gotta worry about."
Fans have wondered why it's taken more than a month to incorporate that added element on offense and have criticized the coaches for being over protective of their offensive captain.
But Joe and Jay Paterno both said Clark never lobbied for more carries, and he's bothered by people thinking the offense's early-season struggles were a result of him staying in the pocket.
"There's a reason why I didn't run," Clark said. "It was the coaching. They wanted to preserve me from getting hurt. But if need be, I have to run and make plays. It bothers me when certain people say things, but really they don't know what's going on."
With the coaching staff becoming less conservative with running Clark, teams may not be able to load the box to stop running backs Evan Royster and Stephfon Green.
A consistent run game opens up the passing game across the middle of the field, and Clark took advantage of that by frequently hitting his tight ends.
Saturday's offense looked as good as it had all season in the second half, out-gaining the Fighting Illini 208 to eight in the third quarter.
Wide receiver Graham Zug said the man under center made the offense click, especially when the Lions took a 14-3 lead on the heels of Clark's 51-yard scramble.
"Numbers-wise, when you have the quarterback running, they really can't account for that," center Stefen Wisniewski said. "We can block everybody, and we can even block the safety sometimes, which is huge.
"Daryll had a big day running. He even looked like he was getting tired there at the end, running for those long runs. He's not used to that, but I'd expect that to continue to be a part of our offense."
