CLEMSON — Phil Mafah moved the chains in Death Valley Saturday afternoon.

The Clemson running back was a commanding force in the Tigers’ 31-23 victory over No. 12 Notre Dame. With starter Will Shipley out with a concussion, Mafah ran for a career-high 186 yards, including a school-tying 36 carries.

“He knew what his role was going to have to be today. I challenged him all week,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “I said, ‘I want to be talking about our number seven once this game’s over.’ Shipley can’t play, you’re going to have to carry the load.”

The junior did indeed ‘carry the load,’ and rushed even more for multiple touchdowns in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.

Mafah scored his seventh rushing touchdown of the season on a 41-yard scoring run in the first quarter. The 41-yard run was the longest touchdown of Mafah’s career, surpassing a 39-yard touchdown run against Louisville last season.

The 41-yard touchdown run came on the first play following Hamp Greene’s then-career-long 15-yard punt return. Greene added a 16-yard return later in the game.

Mafah added his second score of the day on a one-yard plunge in the third quarter. It was his eighth of the season, adding to his single-season career high.

“My mindset was to just uphold the standard and do whatever this team needs me to do in order to win and be successful,” he said.

Saturday marked Mafah’s first 100-yard rushing game of the season and the second of his career.

Here are some of the accomplishments for Mafah from Saturday’s game:

• Mafah recorded a career-high 186 rushing yards on a school-record-tying 36 carries and a career-high-tying two rushing touchdowns.
• Mafah’s36 carries tied the school record shared by Jim Shirley (36 against NC State in 1951), Ray Yauger (36 against Wake Forest in 1969) and Raymond Priester (36 against Maryland in 1997).
• Mafah’s186 yards were the most by a Clemson player since Kobe Pace’s 191-yard rushing performance against Wake Forest in 2021. That game also represented Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman’s last start at Memorial Stadium prior to Saturday.

• The game was Mafah’s first 100-yard rushing game of the season and the second of his career, joining a 106-yard performance against Louisville in 2022.

• Mafah posted the first 150-yard rushing game by a Clemson player since Will Shipley’s 172-yard rushing performance against Syracuse last season.

• Mafah has now rushed for multiple touchdowns in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.

• Mafah became the first Clemson running back to rush for multiple touchdowns in consecutive games since Will Shipley’s three-game streak to open the 2022 season.
• Mafah’s36 attempts represented the first 30-carry game by a Clemson player since Wayne Gallman recorded 30 carries against Auburn in 2016.
• Mafah’s 36 attempts were also the first 20-carry game of the season for Clemson and the first by any Clemson player since Cade Klubnik’s 20 carries against Tennessee in the 2022 Orange Bowl.

We have just added a new special to our store. Get the Two Pack of signed footballs from Clemson’s 2022 and 2023 classes and save $75. Thanks for your support of Clemson football.