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Here's why it could be time for Clemson football to give Will Shipley more work

CLEMSON – Clemson football’s running backs have been described this season as a three-headed monster.

So far, the Tigers have been feeding them somewhat evenly.  But make no mistake about it: Will Shipley is the main monster head in the middle. And it could be time to feed that beast as much as he can eat.

Fifth-ranked Clemson (3-0, 1-0 ACC) plays Saturday (noon, ABC) at No. 16 Wake Forest (3-0, 0-0).

Through the first three games, carries have been split for good reason. It’s a long season, the wins have been blowouts by an average of 27 points, Shipley needs to stay as fresh as possible and the other two backs — Phil Mafah and Kobe Pace — are deserving as well.

Shipley’s 12 carries last week in a 48-20 win against Louisiana Tech was the most for any of them this season. He had 139 yards and two touchdowns. Shipley ranks sixth in the ACC with 249 rushing yards with an average of 7.8 per carry, better than anyone in the league with more than 10 attempts. He’s the first Clemson running back with multiple touchdowns in each of the season’s first three games since 1950.

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“I think Will Shipley is doing an amazing job running the rock,” quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei said. “He runs it hard. Every time he touches the ball, I feel he can take it to the house. … If he had one carry, he might go 90 yards. If he has 30, he’s going for 300.”

Clemson is in the heart of its ACC schedule. After the Tigers face defending Atlantic Division champion Wake Forest comes No. 11 N.C. State. Two weeks after that is a much-improved Florida State.

Shipley has 32 carries and 81 total snaps, Mafah has 20 carries for 78 yards on 56 snaps and Pace has 15 carries for 48 yards on 62 snaps.

“Shipley is different for sure,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “He’s averaged a bunch of yards per touch right now. He’s an explosive player. But if you want to keep him fresh for the totality of the season, it’s hard to do that. If you do that you feel like there’s a big drop-off. ... There’s going to be a game where Mafah is going to go off and everybody’s going to be like, ‘Man, get that guy the ball more.’ Kobe the same. He’s going to have multiple games.”

Clemson running back Will Shipley (1) during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina Saturday, September 17, 2022.
Clemson running back Will Shipley (1) during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina Saturday, September 17, 2022.

“It just really depends on how the game’s going and who has the hot hand,” offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter said. “You’ve got to look at it a couple of different ways. It’s a long season. Shipley is a tough son of a gun and he’ll run the ball 45 times if we want him to. But it’s not just Will. We’ve got Mafah, we’ve got Kobe Pace and we’ve got plenty of guys that are very talented. We really don’t skip a beat when we have any of those guys in. So, I think that’s a compliment to that room. All three of them have played very, very well when they’ve gotten their opportunities.”

Clemson’s offense, however, has a different energy with Shipley, who is also much better than last season in pass protection.

“It wouldn’t be possible without the guys up front and Phil and Kobe pushing me every day. …  I think it’s gone great. The standard doesn’t drop at all those two guys. It’s been great. You throw in (freshmen) Domonique (Thomas) and Keith (Adams) and they handle it at the end really well. It’s so great to see this room flourish. I’ve seen the work that we put in and I’ve been a part of it. I’ve experienced it. To see us reaping the benefits is nice.”

Down the stretch last season, even after returning from injury, Shipley averaged 19.6 carries in the last five games. His career high is 25 carries for 128 yards against Florida State. He added 21 carries for 88 yards in the bowl victory against Iowa State.

“Shipley, there’s no doubt,” Streeter said, “is a guy we can hang our hat on when we need to.”

Todd Shanesy covers Clemson athletics for the USA TODAY Network.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Why it's time for Clemson football to give Will Shipley more carries