Clemson Tigers RB Phil Mafah Not 100 Percent Heading Into ACC Title Game

Phil Mafah of the Clemson Tigers apparently won't be 100 percent heading into the ACC Title Game.

Nov 23, 2024; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney stands with running back Phil Mafah (7) as each senior is introduced on Senior Day before a game against The Citadel Bulldogs at Memorial Stadium. / Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers are heading into the ACC Championship Game against the SMU Mustangs with one of their players apparently not at 100 percent. 

It is going to be an exciting game on Saturday night, as the Tigers will be facing the Mustangs for the ACC Title with a lot on the line. While battling for the conference is important, they will also be playing for an automatic bid in the College Football Playoff. 

SMU has been very good all season, as they went a perfect (8-0) in the conference and were (11-1) overall. This won’t be an easy game for Clemson, as they will need a big game from a lot of players. 

Unfortunately, recent news regarding senior running back Phil Mafah isn’t great, as Dabo Swinney recently said that he has been battling a slight injury and there seemed to be some concern for him heading into the title game. 

“It’s just about getting him healthy,” Swinney said to Will Vandervort of the Clemson Insider.

Overall, it has been a great season for the senior running back, as he has totaled 1,076 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns, and 5.4 yards per carry average. 

There was a stretch during the middle of the season when Mafah was playing at an extremely high level, as he totaled over 100 rushing yards in four out of five games from the beginning of October to the middle of November. 

However, the senior started to struggle of late and now the potential injury could be a reason why he has seen his workload and production drop. 

Excluding the game against The Citadel in which he totaled just three carries, Mafah had just 17 rushing yards against the Pittsburgh Panthers, and then 66 rushing yards against the South Carolina Gamecocks. 

It has certainly been a tough go of it for the talented running back of late, and if he is battling an injury, that makes a lot of sense. 

Unfortunately for Clemson, it comes at a bad time with so much on the line against SMU. 

If Mafah isn’t able to go or not near 100 percent, a lot more will fall on the shoulders and the legs of quarterback Cade Klubnik to carry the load offensively. 

From the running back position, it could be Jay Haynes who could see an increased workload on Saturday night. The freshman has had some nice moments this year, and he might be called upon in a big game to do a lot. Hopefully Mafah is feeling well come game-time and can play in a must-win game.