Cade Klubnik shares excitement over Clemson running game

Garrett Riley brought his air-raid offense to Clemson this offseason, but that doesn’t mean the Tigers will go away from running the ball.

Clemson has two of the top running backs in the ACC in Will Shipley and Phil Mafah, and Riley plans to get both of them plenty of work this fall.

Shipley is back after rushing for 1,182 yards and 15 touchdowns last season, while Mafah finished with 515 yards and four scores. Both backs averaged more than 5 yards per carry.

“I mean we’ve got Will Shipley and Phil Mafah in the backfield,” Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik said following the spring game. “We’re gonna use them.”

Shipley missed the spring game due to a minor injury, but he is expected to be fine for summer workouts.

Mafah rushed 11 times for 42 yards and a touchdown in the Orange and White game. His teammate on the White — Keith Adams Jr. — had 11 carries for 50 yards and a score.

“You got to see that today with Phil, I mean he’s a baller,” Klubnik said. “So it’s fun to have them both back there. We didn’t have Will out there today and still ran the ball great.”  

While Riley has the reputation of being a pass-happy offensive coordinator, his TCU offense ran the ball 566 times last season, compared to 454 pass attempts.

TCU also had one of the top running backs in the country last year in Kendre Miller, who carried the ball 224 times for 1,399 yards and 17 touchdowns. Shipley and Mafah will look to replicate that production for the Tigers this season.

Cade Klubnik confident entering first year as Clemson starting QB

Klubnik isn’t just confident in the run game entering the 2023 season, he also believes the passing game will be better as he enters his first year as the starting quarterback.

“I would say I just feel like I’m playing like me again,” Klubnik said following the spring game. “I just feel comfortable. You know, I feel more comfortable stepping out there and I don’t have to play for anybody, I just get to go play for me and I just feel at peace.”

Klubnik was also asked about his pocket presence. He held onto the ball too long at times last year, including in an Orange Bowl loss to Tennessee. He doesn’t expect that to be as much of an issue in 2023.

“Yeah, definitely,” Klubnik said when asked if he’s improved. “I’d say I had only one bad play [in the spring game]. I had a lot of bad plays, but only that one play when holding the ball. Was just down there in the red zone. …  But yeah, I would definitely say that’s been part of my game that I’ve been really working on since January is just pocket pocket presence. Just you know, finding the kind of time to get rid of it.”