Phil Mafah injury: What happened to Clemson Tigers’ star running back?

Clemson Tigers running back Phil Mafah left the first quarter of Clemson's game against NC State with an injury. Mafah entered this game against NC State with 177 rushing yards and a touchdown in 26 carries. Running back Jay Haynes replaced Mafah when he went down.

What happened to Phil Mafah?

Mafah was injured on a play halfway through the first quarter. In the play, Mfah received a pass from quarterback Cade Klubnik for a four-yard gain. He landed hard on the football and was examined by trainers. Mafah then went to the medical tent and exited after 10 minutes with his helmet on. The ABC broadcast speculated that it looked like a right shoulder injury.

When will Phil Mafah return?

Although it looked like Mafah might be out for the game, that wasn't the case. Jon Blau, a Clemson reporter, tweeted that Phil Mafah came out of the medical tent with his helmet on, and he returned to the game and scored a 38-yard touchdown.

Mafah spoke to reporters after the game and regarding his injury, said:

“I’m all good."

While the injury was a sore one, at this stage it does not seem like it will keep Phil Mafah out of future games. The Clemson RB rushed the ball 7 times for 107 yards and a touchdown against North Carolina State, adding an extra 15 yards off 3 receptions in the passing game.

Next up for the Tigers are the Stanford Cardinal on Sunday, Sept. 29, and Clemson will be looking to build on the momentum from their 59-35 victory here. Coach Dabo Swinney was asked by reporters if it would be difficult to get his players ready next week:

“No, no, not at all. I mean, because it’s a conference game, no challenge at all. Especially when you turn on the tape of their game at Syracuse last night… I’ve been there on a Friday night; that’s a hard place to win. I know what that’s like, and that was a huge win." (19:31)

Swinney seemed confident:

"I think there are trucks coming down from here, and I think we're going to do some of their laundry." (20:15)

We will see if that is the case in due course.