'Mafah Man' gaining confidence as he earns more playing time

Clemson running back Phil Mafah gestures to the crowd after scoring against Louisville.

by Ariana Pensy - Correspondent - Thu Nov 17 07:00:06 GMT-04:00 2022

CLEMSON - Clemson's running game is a team effort, and while sophomore running back Will Shipley gets a lot of attention, fellow sophomore running Phil Mafah has made it a 1-2 punch.

Shipley currently has 899 rushing yards for the Tigers, and while many remember his hurdle and touchdown last Saturday against Louisville, many also probably remember Mafah’s huge run where the entire team helped to push the pile forward.

In Dabo Swinney’s press conference Tuesday, he said he timed the play and it turned out to be 15 seconds long. For comparison, NFL Network’s Good Morning Football does a segment in their Wednesday episodes called Stop the Clock featuring the NFL’s longest plays; those plays are typically around 12 seconds. So, a 15-second play is a historically-long play.

The Tigers possess a powerful rushing duo with different skill sets. This difference in style is present on and off the field, as explained by Mafah.

“Opposites attract, I guess,” Mafah said. “I mean, I’m pretty chill. He’s how he is. He’s pretty chill too, but he can be really tense … He’s a great dude, great friend, great guy.”

The increase in Mafah’s productivity has surely helped to bring more to the Clemson rushing game. In fact, Mafah already has the same amount of rushing touchdowns he had all of last year and he ranks No. 10 in the ACC for rushing yards per attempt with 5.3. Shipley ranks No. 5 in this category with 5.8 rushing yards per attempt. Having two players in the top 10 shows the versatility of both backs. The increase in performance has also increased Mafah’s confidence this season thus far.

“I definitely feel like my confidence has taken a raise,” Mafah said. “Seeing the hard work pay off is definitely rewarding, so I have no choice but to get more confident.”

Clemson’s game against Miami (3:30 p.m./ESPN) not only marks their last ACC matchup of the regular season but also Senior Day. The seniors have certainly left an impact on the team, as they have not lost at home.

“From the senior class, I learned how to win. They’re undefeated at home,” Mafah said. “The guys, the seniors, they do a great job of leading this team, being the example, and they're men that I look up to. They’ve made me, in turn, a better man and I really appreciate all of them.”

Miami is currently ranked No. 38 in the country in rushing yards allowed with an average of 126.6 per game. That's the highest ranking of any team Clemson has played this season except for NC State, who is No. 9. In that game, Clemson rushed for 145 yards. Furthermore, the Tigers are 9-0 when they rush for over 100 yards and 0-1 when they rush for under 100 yards. With the running game being so important to their productivity -- and a strength of the Miami defense -- this is certainly something to watch out for.

With Thanksgiving in about a week, Mafah also took the opportunity to express his thankfulness.

“I’m thankful for my family,” Mafah said. “They’ve been behind me every single day, when I’m feeling down or up, they’ve always been there, always will be there, and made me the man I am today, so I’m really thankful for them. I’m thankful for my teammates. My coaches push us to be the best we can everyday. I’m thankful for Clemson.”