CLEMSON — From the start, it was obvious what Clemson’s game plan was in Saturday’s 31-23 victory over No. 12 Notre Dame.
Run the football and then run it some more.
On the Tigers’ first offensive play from scrimmage, running back Phil Mafah—who started for an injured Will Shipley—rumbled 10 yards up the middle and then another five on the second play. Though that drive eventually bogged down, it set the stage for Clemson’s next possession.
“The first play, that was kind of our mentality, to come out swinging,” Mafah said. “I gave it all I had. Every play out there I gave it all I had.”
After Hamp Greene returned a punt 16 yards setting the Tigers up at the Notre Dame 41-yard line, Mafah took a hand off and ran untouched behind the blocks of left tackle Tristan Leigh and left guard Trend Howard for a 41-yard touchdown.
“They blocked it up very well up front, so the gap was wide open. I was ecstatic,” Mafah said about his first of two touchdowns. “I am just glad we were able to get (7) points up on the board. I knew it would get the stadium rocking, so It gave us great momentum.”
Though Clemson was missing left guard Marcus Tate, who injured his knee in practice this week, and was missing left tackle Collin Sadler, it dominated a Notre Dame defensive front, which is considered one of the best in the nation.
Leigh moved back to left tackle after starting at right guard at NC State, while Howard filled in for Tate at left guard. Freshman Harris Sewell started at right guard.
Clemson’s offensive line has been maligned all season, especially after the Tigers rushed for 31 yards at Miami and 101 at NC State the last two weeks.
However, few have run the ball better on Notre Dame than Clemson did on Saturday, and if you take away a sack for 11 yards and a 15-yard loss due to a poorly snapped football, the Tigers ran for 204 yards and averaged 4.9 yards per carry.
“It was amazing,” Mafah said. “We lost two guys (on the offensive line). We had Trent Howard and Harris Sewell, a true freshman, and they got the job done. You could tell by the way they blocked and opened up the holes that they were truly bought into what we had to do today to win.”
Mafah finished the afternoon with a career-high 186 yards and two touchdowns, while tying a Clemson record with 36 carries.
“Wow! What a performance today,” Howard said about his running back. “It is just an honor to block for somebody like that because I know he is going to be grounding it out and giving it is his best. I am so proud of Phil. He has done such a great job as always, especially today. He did a really good job.”
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