How Clemson’s freshman class is providing a spark during an uncharacteristic season
Clemson’s 30-20 home win over Florida State last weekend felt almost like a rising stars challenge.
For starters, The Tigers are developing a young running back trio of sophomore Kobe Pace and freshmen Will Shipley and Phil Mafah. With Pace in COVID-19 protocol and out of the FSU game, Shipley got the start.
Both Shipley — the team’s leading rusher — and roommate Mafah provided the Tigers’ offense with sparks and scores. Mafah had a career-high 63-yard run that set up Clemson’s first touchdown of the day against the Seminoles, finishing with a new single-game career mark of 69 yards. The carry was the longest Clemson rush since Travis Etienne’s 72-yard touchdown run against Miami on Oct. 10, 2020.
“The defender thought he had him and all he had was a piece of his towel,” Tigers offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said of Mafah, “so he can roll for a big guy at 225 pounds and he’s very smooth, very fluid for a big guy.”
Meanwhile, Shipley scored twice, which included the go-ahead touchdown with 2 minutes, 53 seconds left in the game. His career-high 128 yards in a game were the most since Etienne’s stellar performance against the Hurricanes a year ago where the now Jacksonville Jaguar had 149 rushing yards. Additionally, Shipley’s third multi-touchdown game puts him in an elite group with Etienne, now running backs coach C.J. Spiller and James Davis, a sixth-round NFL Draft pick in 2009 — they’re the only Clemson freshmen to record at least three games with multiple rushing touchdowns in a season since 2000.
If that’s not enough, the North Carolina native’s seven rushing touchdowns have passed Chuck McSwain (6 in 1979) for fifth-most by a Clemson true freshman in school history. The freshman total touchdown record is 13, first set by Sammy Watkins (2011) then Etienne (2017).
“He’s definitely mature beyond his age,” safety Andrew Mukuba said of Shipley. “I feel like that’s a good thing. That’s helping him. I feel like looking at that can also inspire me to do better, maturing and (to) be a good person.”
On the other side of the ball, sophomores Trenton Simpson and Myles Murphy, who was named the ACC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week, highlighted the Tigers’ defense with six and five tackles, respectively. Murphy also had a blocked PAT, a play head coach Dabo Swinney highlighted after the game.
In the last two plays of the contest, the defense also featured two freshmen in Mukuba breaking up the Hail Mary pass followed by linebacker Barrett Carter recovering a fumble on a hook-and-ladder play, then scoring his first collegiate touchdown. The last time he scored was on a one-yard run in the final game of his senior season at North Gwinnett (Georgia). Carter credited teammate Tyler Venables with making the tackle to allow him to make the ensuing big play.
“Honestly, I tried to pick it up at first; I missed,” the young Tiger admitted, calling the moment surreal. “I was just scared that I didn’t want to miss the ball, but I missed it at first. It kind of looks like I tapped it a little bit but I tried to pick it up then, but I just missed it. I was just making sure I secured it, tried to get in the end zone.
“I told coach Swinney one day I wanted to get a touchdown on offense, but little did I know that touchdown would come before that on defense, so it definitely raises my confidence a lot.”
The game was also special for Mukuba, whose mother, Tshala Bilolo, was in attendance. It’s the first college football game she’s ever attended and told her son the environment was “mind-blowing.” Mukuba also had a few of his siblings in attendance — he ended the game with two tackles and a fumble recovery to go along with the late pass breakup.
“Even though she understands a little bit, she knows I’m doing good things, I’m doing pretty good,” Mukuba said of Bilolo. “She liked hearing my name out loud when they say my name. She said she liked that because people got to know who it is. … It was a special moment for me and her to share.”
As freshmen, they still make mistakes, though, and they’ll be the first to admit it.
Mukuba, for example, hasn’t forgotten about two opportunities he’s had for interceptions against N.C. State and Georgia Tech. Shipley mentioned a screen play at the beginning of the Florida State game where he said he has to “make that guy miss.” He also had dropped pass near midfield against Pitt two weeks ago that likely would’ve gone for a touchdown. It’s a moment he said last week he’s thought about 2,000 times and a play he generally makes “99 out of 100” times.
All in all, during a season where Clemson is struggling with injuries and seems to be more in a rebuild, the potential shown in the younger players has been intriguing. Playing freshmen right away can be a sink-or-swim experience, and it seems the Class of 2021 that ranked fifth nationally is doing just enough to stay afloat in an uncharacteristic 5-3 season for the Tigers.
“Part of their maturation, the more they play, the better they’ll get and finding roles, what they can do well, what you can trust them with,” Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables said of his freshman group. “A lot of times, you go into the year and you think you know, then things change or it’s validated with what you thought. Two real good young players (in Mukuba and Carter) to go along with the other good players we have. It kind of gives you a glimpse of what you can hope for in the future.”
Game Prediction: Clemson 21, Louisville 20
