Sean Clifford

Sean Clifford Heisman Trophy Odds & Analysis For 2020 Season

Written by on May 11, 2020

No Penn State quarterback has ever won the Heisman Trophy. Could Sean Clifford end that drought this year? Here are two props available to wager at Mybookie on Clifford’s Heisman Trophy chances and Penn State’s 2020 college football season – assuming there is one – and an overview.

Sean Clifford Heisman Trophy Odds & Analysis For 2020 Season

Clifford graduated from St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati in 2017. During his career, he passed for 4,004 yards and 30 touchdowns with a school record 1,100 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns as a quarterback. After redshirting his first year at Penn State, Clifford spent 2018 as Trace McSorley’s backup. He appeared in four games, completing five of seven passes for 195 yards with two touchdowns.

Clifford connected with Daniel George for a 98-yard touchdown pass against Kent State in September 2018, the longest pass play and longest play from scrimmage in program history. It broke the previous longest pass record of 92 yards from Bill Hess to Bob Higgins in 1919.

graduated after ’18 and Clifford started every game but one last year. Clifford threw for 287 yards in the first half at Maryland last September, breaking the PSU record held by McSorley (258; Georgia State, 2017).  Clifford finished with 398 yards passing vs. the Terps, the third-most in a game at Penn State, trailing only Christian Hackenberg (454; vs. UCF, 2014) and Zack Mills (399; vs. Iowa, 2002).

Clifford would become the third Penn State quarterback to have three games with 250 passing yards and three passing touchdowns in a season, joining McSorley (2017, 4 games) and Hackenberg (2013, 3 games). He was the fifth Penn State quarterback to have multiple games with four or more passing touchdowns. Clifford finished with 23 passing touchdowns, fifth-most at Penn State. His 148.54 passing efficiency rating was seventh-best in school history while his 2,654 passing yards were eighth.

Clifford finished seventh for total yards in a season at PSU with 3,056 and tied for eighth with 28 touchdowns responsible for. He was fourth in rushing yards by a PSU quarterback with 402 and finished with five rushing touchdowns, tied for 11th for rushing scores by a PSU quarterback.

Clifford averaged 14.04 yards per completion, ranking No. 3 in the Big Ten and No. 18 in the country. He was third in the Big Ten and 22nd nationally averaging 8.32 yards per pass attempt. He ranked third among Big Ten quarterbacks with 33.5 rushing yards per contest.

Clifford started 12 games during his redshirt sophomore campaign and helped lead Penn State to an 11-2 overall record and a No. 9 finish in the AP Top 25. He missed the regular-season finale after suffering a leg injury against Ohio State.

has a new offensive coordinator this year in Kirk Ciarrocca. The Pennsylvania native and Temple graduate was Minnesota’s offensive coordinator for the past three seasons. Ciarrocca, who helped the Golden Gophers achieve their first 10-win regular season since 1905, replaces Ricky Rahne. Rahne is the new head coach at Old Dominion. Ciarrocca’s Minnesota offense caused Penn State serious trouble in the Gophers’ 31-26 upset of the Lions on Nov. 9 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Minnesota produced 460 total yards, 339 through the air.

Head coach James Franklin has said Clifford and Ciarrocca are on the same page even though they did not have a spring practice together. PSU is scheduled to open the season vs. Kent State on Sept. 5 and will be a massive betting favorite there.

The Nittany Lions opened their 2016 season against Kent State as well. James Franklin’s squad won by a score of 33-13. This will be Penn State’s seventh meeting against Kent State. The Nittany Lions have won all six previous games and last took on the Golden Flashes at Beaver Stadium in 2018. Penn State won 63-10.