As Clemson’s offense continues to make incremental progress, one position group in particular has caught the eye of Clemson coach Dabo Swinney in helping with that.
Even with the attrition it’s dealt with throughout the season, Swinney said the backfield has made significant strides over the course of nine games. Specifically, it’s the young running backs — sophomore Kobe Pace and true freshmen Will Shipley and Phil Mafah — who have stood out with their progression.
“(Running backs coach) C.J. (Spiller) has done a great job with that group. He really has,” Swinney said. “We’ve got to go recruit. We don’t have many, but those three we’ve got, they can play for anybody in the country.”
Pace, Shipley and Mafah have handled the workload since Lyn-J Dixon and Michel Dukes left the team early in the season. Darien Rencher is the other scholarship back on the roster, but South Carolina State is still the only game the sixth-year senior has played in this season.
Shipley in particular has come on of late after returning from the lower leg injury he sustained against North Carolina State on Sept. 25. Despite missing two games, the former five-star signee leads Clemson in rushing yards (438) and rushing touchdowns (7). He had a season-high 128 yards and two scores, including the game-winner, against Florida State two weeks ago and is averaging 4.6 yards per carry over the last three games.
Pace was the Tigers’ leading rusher until missing the FSU game because of COVID-19 protocols. He had just two carries against Louisville last week before leaving the game with a concussion, but Pace has still rushed for 341 yards and three scores in the first extended playing time of his career. He combined for 201 of those yards against Boston College and Syracuse last month.
Meanwhile, Mafah, the biggest back on the roster at 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, has brought some explosion to the ground game ever since his redshirt was pulled five games into the season. He’s averaged 5.3 yards per carry since making his collegiate debut against Boston College on Oct. 2 and broke off the Tigers’ longest run of the season — a 63-yarder against FSU — to this point.
It’s all helped Clemson jump to 82nd nationally in rushing offense, a far cry from where the Tigers were through the first month of the season. With Shipley and Mafah running behind the sixth different starting combination along the offensive line last week, the Tigers weren’t great on the ground (3.4 yards per carry) against Louisville. But Clemson is averaging 165 rushing yards over the last five games, 21 yards more than its season average.
“They’re just going to get better and better, and they’ve improved all season long in all areas,” Swinney said.
It’s helped Clemson achieve some of its best balance offensively during that span. D.J. Uiagalelei has had his four best passing performances in terms of yards since the start of October, including a season-high 220 yards and two touchdowns last week against Louisville.
“Two true freshmen and a true sophomore who didn’t get to play a lot last year, so they’re all making a lot of improvement,” Swinney said of the running backs. “It’s a great group. It’s very competitive. They all have a unique skill set. They’ve made a lot of progress.”
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