It is once again game week for the Clemson Tigers as head coach Dabo Swinney and his team prepare for Saturday's College Football Playoff game at No. 5 seed Texas. Unfortunately, Clemson heads into this contest with some injury questions, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Monday, Swinney met with the media to discuss the upcoming matchup and, of course, he addressed the health of his team. Unfortunately, he had to start by delivering some bad news.
"Unfortunately, we lost Jay Haynes," Swinney said, "so he's out. Actually...tore his ACL so he had surgery this morning so um he's on the road to recovery as of this moment, as we speak."
This news was not unexpected given that Haynes, who left the ACC Championship Game win over SMU after returning the second-half kickoff, was unable to walk without assistance following his injury. Now, the Tigers are going to be thin at the running back spot behind senior Phil Mafah who has been dealing with a shoulder injury.
Haynes, a true freshman, ran for 295 yards and 3 TDs on 43 carries this season. What's more, given Mafah's injury, he was being worked into the offense more regularly in recent games. He had even received five first-half carries against the Mustangs as the Tigers looked to get some explosiveness out of the run game.
As for Mafah, Swinney indicated that he isn't yet over his injury.
"Nobody is 100%," Swinney said. "I doubt they got very few players that are 100% and we don't either. But certainly some rest for Mafah, it's not a bad thing, but you know, he's got to have postseason surgery, regardless. But he's going to give everything he's got. I thought he was better in the last game but we've got to use our depth there for sure."
Mafah ran for 1,106 yards and eight touchdowns this year. However, after having six 100-yard rushing games in the first nine contests of 2024, he's not had over 66 yards in any of the last four games. That included only 17 yards vs. Pitt and 28 against SMU leading many to wonder if he has been utilized too much or if his shoulder injury is slowing him down. Thus, it will be fascinating to see how fresh he looks against the Longhorns on Saturday.
As for the team's most important player, QB Cade Klubnik, there were questions about his left hand after it was seen in heavy bandaging following the win over SMU. Swinney updated his status as well.
"I guess he's got a bruise or something," Swinney said almost dismissively. "He's alright. If he's got to throw left-handed, we'll be in trouble."
Certainly, this is a huge week for Klubnik, an Austin, Texas native who grew up a Texas fan. Now, he's got the chance to play in his hometown in a College Football Playoff game and it will take more than a bruise on his non-throwing hand to slow him down. Hopefully, he and the rest of the Clemson offense will find a way to be at their best, even without Haynes, because the Tigers are going to have to put up some points this weekend if they want to pull the upset and keep their season alive.