The Gator Bowl was one of the most exciting games Phil Mafah has ever been engaged with.
The Clemson running back set a Clemson and Gator Bowl record with four rushing touchdowns in the Tigers’ comeback triumph, including the game-winner with 17 seconds remaining. Three of Mafah’s four touchdowns occurred in the fourth quarter.
“I think that was the most insane fourth quarter I’ve ever played in. “There was so much emotion, especially in the fourth quarter,” the rising senior stated after the game. “Just had to keep fighting and didn’t know what the outcome would be at that point, but you just had to keep fighting and believing and trusting your teammates to get the job done and get the win.”
Mafah carried for 71 yards and four touchdowns, including a 29-yarder. He carried 11 times for an average of 6.5 yards.
With Will Shipley leaving for the NFL, Mafah becomes the “Man” in Clemson’s running back room. He has shared the responsibility with Shipley for the past two seasons and did not become a major feature in the offense until the Tigers’ victory against then-No. 12 Notre Dame in early November.
Mafah carried for 186 yards and tied the school record with 36 carries. Clemson’s running back has had the most carries in a single game since 1997.
The Loganville, Ga., native led the Tigers in rushing in six of the last seven games. He finished the season with a team-high 965 yards, as well as a team-best 13 touchdowns and a team-best 5.4 yards per carry average.
As the Tigers get set for spring practice next month, Mafah knows, for the first time in his college career, he is the “Man” at the running back position.
Phil Mafah, 6-1, 230, Sr – Mafah is a punishing back who enters 2024 with 345 rushing attempts for 1,772 yards and 20 touchdowns, as well as 37 receptions for 206 yards in 36 games, including seven starts.
Keith Adams Jr., 5-9, 215, *So – Adams is the son of former Clemson great Keith Adams Sr, who was a linebacker at Clemson from 1996-’99 and was the 1999 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time All-American. The elder Adams was nicknamed the “Termite” during his time at Clemson. Like his father, Adams Jr also has a nickname. The coaches call him “Hammerhead” because of his hard and punishing running style. He has played in nine games in his first two seasons and has 81 yards on 14 carries.
Jarvis Green, 5-9, 200, *Fr – Green redshirted last season, but he recorded more than 6,000 career all-purpose yards and 91 total touchdowns at Dutch Fork High School in Columbia before signing with Clemson. He played in two games in 2023 and had a 36-yard kickoff return.
