Devlin wouldn't still be at PSU even if he had played against Iowa in 2008

The Big Ten Network is showing Penn State's unbelievably disappointing loss at Iowa in 2008 right now (Sunday night). The Lions, ranked No. 3 and undefeated in week 10, were up by nine in the fourth quarter and blew it.

The game remains a very bad memory to PSU fans for many reasons, not the least of which is the quarterback decision.

To many Lion fans, the game is still essentially the "Pat Devlin fiasco."

Daryll Clark was awful that November day in Iowa City, completing 9-of-23 passes for 86 yards. It was two weeks after he had suffered a concussion at Ohio State, a game in which Devlin came in late and led two scoring drives.

Many frustrated PSU fans still believe Devlin got so upset about not playing against Iowa that it played a big role in his decision to transfer after the regular season.

It may have been a factor, sure.

But frankly, Devlin not playing against Iowa gets overblown by fans who want to simplify things and therefore blame the situation on one specific game.

Even if Devlin had played and led Penn State to victory, he had to see the writing on the wall that Clark still would be the starting quarterback in 2009. Clark had done nothing to make anyone believe otherwise, and Devlin had to know he'd be sitting the bench for another season.

Devlin didn't want to do that, so he left.

Because he left, this year's PSU squad will have to turn to an inexperienced quarterback instead of having a senior with a great pedigree. With Devlin, the Lions may have been looking at 10-2 or better, but with Kevin Newsome or Matt McGloin, it looks like an 8-4 season.

It's a shame, clearly, that Devlin isn't around, but he made his choice.

Penn State, meanwhile, went 22-4 with Clark as the starting quarterback, and he was a two-time all-Big Ten selection. Devlin would not have done any better.

The coaches should not be blamed for what some fans perceive as giving Devlin a raw deal. They were trying to win games at the time, and it obviously worked with back-to-back 11-2 seasons.

Even if Devlin goes on to be a first- or second-round NFL draft pick, which some analysts are projecting, it doesn't mean Penn State's coaches made the wrong decision playing Clark over him.

The defense, not Clark, lost the game that day at Iowa. But as big as that loss was, some fans may always believe the bigger issue that day was that Devlin realized his fate at Penn State was sealed.