Phil Mafah needed a chance. He made sure not to let it pass by when the moment came.
Clemson’s hulking running back got his chance to shine with Will Shipley sidelined with a concussion, and propelled the Tigers to an amazing upset win against Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon at Death Valley. Running over, around, and through the Irish defense, Mafah ran to a career day as Clemson silenced the football demons that had haunted them all season.
“I knew what I had to do in order for this team to succeed,” said Mafah after the game. “I couldn’t have done it without the guys up front. I was fighting for my brothers, and that was what I was focused on. Just fighting for this team. I give all the glory to God.”
Phil Mafah
Mafah’s performance on Saturday afternoon might have seemed like an answered prayer for the Tigers. Career highs of 36 carries and 185 yards rushing along with two touchdowns calmed the storm faced by a team that has seen its manhood questioned by everyone from fans to the national media.
A patch-work offensive line, riddled with injuries, paved the way for Mafah. That unit played their best game of the season, against one of the toughest opponents on the schedule, and the Tigers found a way to win against the odds.
“We kept preaching execute,” explained Mafah. “That’s been our message all week was to execute and finish the game. We knew we were up at halftime, but we knew Notre Dame wasn’t going to stop so we had to go back out there and keep executing and going to the very end. I’m proud of those guys for bringing it today and defending The Valley.”
Phil Mafah
In a larger sense, this was a win that Clemson had to have. Gone are any chance of winning an ACC championship or finding a spot in the College Football Play-off, but for a team beaten and broken, sitting at 4-4 and 2-4 in ACC play after losses to Miami and N.C. State, the Tigers had seemingly lost the will to fight as well.
On Saturday, they stood up and pushed away from the wall that they had been backed into and turned away a Notre Dame team that some pundits had predicted would blow the Tigers out on their home field.
“This (win) was very important,” Mafah said. “We needed that momentum going into November. This was definitely vital for this season and it has given us more confidence to just keep going and finish well.”
Phil Mafah
Many have wondered why Mafah had not been given more of an opportunity to shine before Saturday. Will Shipley had struggled all season in short yardage situations, and protecting the football inside the red zone. Meanwhile, Mafah’s opportunities to carry the load have been scarce. That chance came in the second half against the Wolfpack when Shipley went down, and it was Phil’s show on Saturday.
Mafah scored on a long touchdown run to get the Tigers on the board in the first quarter. He punctuated the scoring for Clemson with a bruising run in the third. The defense did the rest, turning the Irish away multiple times over the final 30 minutes of the game.
Mafah is roommates with Shipley, one of his closest friends, and does not look at it from a competition standpoint with his teammate. He simply wanted to pick Shipley up in his absence.
“That’s my roommate and that’s my guy.” he said. “I really wanted to represent him well and represent the running back room well. Coach Spiller, the offense in general, every carry I got I just kept thinking about those guys. Just playing for them and trying to execute and get the job done.”
Phil Mafah
Mafah made it a point to thank his offensive line. No position group has been more maligned than the Tigers’ offensive line. Statistically, they have been among the worst in the country. On Saturday, they were one of the best.
“It was amazing,” proclaimed Mafah. “You know, we lost two guys and had Trent Howard and Harris Sewell, a freshman, in there. They got the job done. You can tell by the way they blocked and they opened up the holes. They were truly bought in to what we had to do to win.”
Phil Mafah
Most importantly for Mafah and his teammates, they were fighting for their coach. Dabo Swinney had been panned and outright tossed aside from many across the country in recent weeks. That all came to a head in the past week when Swinney fielded a call during his weekly radio show that outright questioned his character and value to the university and Clemson football.
Mafah admitted that he and his teammates played with some extra anger and wanted to pick up their beleaguered coach.
“We definitely had a chip on our shoulder just knowing this was the game (Swinney) needed for number 166,” Mafah added. “I really wanted that for him and all the guys did, so we just had to get it done and find a way.”
The win was Swinney’s 166th in his career, moving him past Frank Howard as the winningest coach in Clemson history.
Mafah continued, “It’s been tough because there is no one who loves us more than (Coach Swinney) does. I take it personally and I know a lot of the guys on the team do. We just had to bring our all today and fight for him.”
Phil Mafah
Mission accomplished for Mafah and the Clemson Tigers.
