Frank Clark Makes Opponents Respect the Michigan Defensive Line

With time running out, Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald passed up a chance to force overtime and elected to go for the win with a two-point conversion. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, Frank Clark and the Michigan defense were ready.

"We know the plays they like and what they like to run in the red zone, and I executed. I did my job," Clark told Nick Baumgardner of MLive.com. "I knew it was going to be a sprint out once I saw the double motion, and that's how I went about it."

Clark snuffed Northwestern’s two-point conversion attempt to seal the 10-9 victory for Michigan and led a defensive effort that totaled six sacks while holding Northwestern to negative yards (minus-nine) rushing.

It was another great effort for a defense that has steadily improved throughout the season and is now ranked seventh nationally. The Michigan defensive line had one of its best games of the season, sacking Northwestern quarterbacks six times for a loss of 59 yards.

The win brought Michigan back to .500 and keeps its slim bowl hopes alive. The offense struggled all game, squeezing out just enough points to win the game.

But Clark refused to criticize his teammates, taking to Twitter after the game:

The tweet is an example of how Clark has assumed a critical leadership role for Michigan. The season has been a disappointment, but he has helped anchor a resurgent defensive line by helping his younger teammates prepare and being a positive force in the locker room.

“As a senior my job isn’t to give up my team, my job isn’t to have my head down when we’re losing,” said Clark earlier this season. “You need to keep your guys positive.”

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It’s not a role that many might have expected from a player who, just two years ago, was in serious trouble off the field.

Trouble is what his family had hoped to help him avoid when he left California for Ohio. The move provided stability but separated him from his mother and siblings who remained in California. 

He played his high school football for legendary Ohio high school coach Ted Ginn Sr. at Glenville High School but didn’t get an offer from Ohio State. A 3-star prospect on 247Sports, Clark was part of Brady Hoke’s first recruiting class. But after a promising freshman season where he appeared in 12 games, he was arrested for stealing a laptop.

The resulting arrest was pivotal for Clark—it made him realize how close he was to losing everything he had worked for.

Year	Games	Solo	Assists	Total	Sacks/Yards	TFL/Yards
2011	12	3	7	10	-	0.5/0
2012	13	16	9	25	2/13	9/26
2013	13	19	24	43	4.5/26	12/38
2014	10	29	13	42	4.5/52	13.5/75

“My first year-and-a-half I was in the way, in trouble and really didn’t know what my place was on this team,” said Clark. “I finally figured it out my junior year.”

After the arrest, Clark worked hard to earn back the trust of his coaches and teammates. He vowed to learn from his mistakes and become a team leader.

“I’ve had challenges in the past where I wasn’t necessarily that guy,” said Clark. “I’ve struggled with some of those things in the past and I’ve really been challenging myself to focus on leading anyway I can.”

The hard work has paid off; CBS Sports projects Clark as a fourth- or fifth-round draft pick. It won’t be easy, but he will get an opportunity to play professional football.

But the NFL will have to wait. There are two more games to play and hopefully a final bowl trip. Clark leads a Michigan defense that needs to dominate every time it takes the field.

Next week he will head down the tunnel one final time at Michigan Stadium. It will be an emotional moment for Clark.

“Anytime you come to The Big House you get that feeling in your stomach. I get it, and I’ve been playing for four years,” said Clark. “Anytime I’m walking down the tunnel and I see The Team, The Team, The Team I get that special feeling in my heart.”

But there’s more to the story than just a player’s final home game.

Frank Clark’s Twitter bio reads: "MichiganFootball #57 Glenville Alumni Simply, All I want to do is make my momma proud."

Many players share similar sentiments, but his has a poignancy that most can’t match.

Earlier this season, Clark spoke with MLive.com’s Brendan F. Quinn:

"

Frank Clark hasn’t seen his mother since they went to the airport in 2003 [when he left California]. It eats at him. During his junior year of high school, he returned to California for a football camp and hoped to see his family. An aunt and some cousins showed up. His mom and siblings didn’t. ...

Clark dreams, more than anything, that his mother will see him play this season; says it would be “the best thing ever” if she’s on hand for Senior Day.

"

Clark is hoping for a reunion that's been over a decade in the making.

He will lead the defensive line as Michigan attempts to make a bowl game and save Brady Hoke’s job. He knows that the odds are stacked against his team.

After Michigan's home finale versus Maryland, next comes Ohio State on the road.

Nobody needs to tell a kid who played his high school football in Ohio how hard it will be to upset the Buckeyes in The Horseshoe.

But Frank Clark has been overcoming difficult circumstances his whole life. Maryland and Ohio State are just two more obstacles along the way.

Phil Callihan is a featured writer for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations obtained firsthand.

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