Daryll Clark is better than Terrelle Pryor right now.
Hands down.
Until Pryor proves differently on the field, I'll take Clark in a heartbeat.
It's comical, really, that the Big Ten media are so enamored with the Pryor hype machine that they voted the Ohio State sophomore quarterback as the league's preseason Offensive Player of the Year.
Clark should have been the choice.
Clark was the best quarterback in the Big Ten last season and earned the conference's first-team nod. The lack of respect the senior has received during the preseason -- from the media and in preview magazines -- is disappointing and perplexing.
Pryor wasn't even good enough to be counted on to throw the ball in crunch time during Ohio State's Fiesta Bowl loss to Texas. He had to give way to Todd Boeckman.
Somehow, though, most people seem to believe Pryor has gotten so much better during the offseason that he, not Clark, will be the Big Ten's best QB this year.
What is everyone basing this on? Easy. Potential and hype.
Not performance.
Clark threw for 2,592 yards last season, Pryor 1,311.
Clark threw 19 TDs, Pryor 12.
Pryor ran for 631 yards to Clark's 282, but Clark had 10 rushing TDs to Pryor's six.
Where's the logic in assuming Pryor will make up all of that ground and even more this year?
A lot has been made of the fact that Penn State has lost the outstanding receiving trio of Deon Butler, Derrick Williams and Jordan Norwood. However, Ohio State lost its two best receivers in Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline.
The Buckeyes also lost star running back Beanie Wells, meaning all of Pryor's top options are gone and he will be forced to do a lot on his own. Look for him to make plenty of mistakes trying to do too much.
Clark still has running back Evan Royster around. True, he will be breaking in some new receivers, but people should stop underestimating Graham Zug, Brett Brackett and Chaz Powell.
Pryor may be a great college quarterback the next two years. He might even win a Heisman Trophy. But to assume he'll be so vastly improved this season seems like a mistake.
In 2010 or someday in the NFL, Pryor may be the easy choice. But for this season, give me Clark.
Cory Giger can be reached at 949-7031 and cgsports12@aol.com.
