Mafah, Clemson Offense Made Massive Statement

CLEMSON — Veterans and rookies alike found breakout success in No. 25 Clemson’s swift 66-20 win over the App State Mountaineers on Saturday.

Newcomer Bryant Wesco lit up the offensive end of the field, racking up 130 yards on three catches, which included a 76-yard touchdown. Another freshman, linebacker Sammy Brown, contributed with nine total tackles in his first appearance with the Tigers.

While the rookies showed out against the Mountaineers, several familiar faces for the Tigers also had goals to meet and points to prove in the victory.

Phil Mafah is no stranger to success in a Clemson uniform. The running back single handedly provided four rushing touchdowns for the Tigers in their 2023 Gator Bowl win. The Georgia native accounted for 965 rushing yards in his junior season.

In the opening game of his senior year, top-ranked Georgia limited Mafah’s production, allowing him only 52 yards on 13 carries. However, Mafah proved a point in Clemson’s return to Memorial Stadium on Saturday, as he amassed 110 yards on 10 carries, including a breakaway 83-yard touchdown run.

“It was third-and-one. I saw a little crease and I cut back in the lane. It ended up being green grass, so I just ran,” Mafah said.

Mafah, who is not know for his breakaway speed, outran everybody for his first touchdown of the year, and the longest play from scrimmage for the Clemson offense since 2020.

“I have never really had the opportunity, but maybe I surprised some people. I have been working on that,” he said.

The long touchdown broke open the score for the Tigers, increasing their lead to 21-0 in the first eight minutes of the matchup. The Mountaineers could never catch up.

Mafah shared with the media after the win that his offense’s motivation came from knowing they had more in the tank than what was broadcasted against Georgia.

“I felt like the guys wanted to show what we had,” he said. “To lose a game like that last week and only get three points on the board, we knew we had more than that in us, so we just really wanted to prove that to ourselves and especially to the defense. They gave us a lot of help so we just wanted to prove that to them today.”

With nine total touchdowns and over 700 yards of offense, the Tigers proved their depth, resiliency, and veteran ability. Now, Clemson has a chance to build on these attributes in conference-play. The Tigers’ next game is slated against NC State on Sept 21.