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Is Clemson's Jay Haynes playing vs. Texas in CFP? Latest injury update
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- Is Clemson's Jay Haynes playing vs. Texas in CFP? Latest injury update
CLEMSON — Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney announced Monday running back Jay Haynes is out for the season because of a torn left ACL.
Haynes was injured on the opening kickoff in the third quarter vs. SMU in the ACC championship at Bank of America Stadium on Dec. 7. He was removed from the team's depth chart on Monday after being listed as the No. 2 running back and starting kick returner.
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The No. 12 seed Tigers (10-3) will face the No. 5 seed Longhorns (11-2) on Saturday (4 p.m. ET, TNT) in Austin, Texas , at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. The winner advances to play No. 4 seed Arizona State, the Big 12 champion, in the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 1 (1 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Here's the latest update on Haynes' injury:
Is Jay Haynes playing vs. Texas? Injury update
Swinney announced Haynes is out because of a torn ACL and underwent surgery on Monday.
Haynes rushed for 295 yards with three touchdowns on 43 attempts in 13 games this season. He emerged as the No. 2 running back behind Phil Mafah . According to the depth chart, Keith Adams Jr., Jarvis Green or David Eziomume will replace him as the backup running back, and wide receiver Adam Randall will replace him as the starting kick returner.
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How did Jay Haynes get hurt?
In the ACC championship, Haynes returned the opening kickoff of the second half for 16 yards. He was hit low on the return and his left knee bent in on the hit. He tried to get up on his own power but couldn't. Clemson trainers came out to help him.
Haynes was carted to the locker room and returned to the sidelines on crutches with a brace on his left leg.
What Dabo Swinney has said about Jay Haynes' injury
Swinney said Clemson was awaiting an MRI on Haynes' injury on Dec. 8. In Swinney's first availability to the media Monday since the ACC championship game, he announced Haynes is out with a torn ACL.
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MORE: Here's Clemson football, Dabo Swinney's depth chart for first-round CFP game vs Texas
Clemson injury report
Starting running back Phil Mafah has been battling a shoulder injury that has limited his production. Swinney said Monday that Mafah will have surgery on his shoulder when the season concludes.
"Nobody's 100%. I doubt they got very few players at 100%," Swinney said. "Certainly, some rest for Mafah is not a bad thing."
Mafah has not exceeded 100 yards and has not averaged more than four yards per carry in his past three games, excluding The Citadel game that he sat out. If Mafah is still banged up, Clemson will rely on Adams, Green or Eziomume to fill in.
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Clemson vs. Texas predictions
Texas has been one of the best teams in the country despite losing in the SEC championship. Its only two losses are to Georgia, which beat Clemson in Week 1. Backed by over 100,000 fans, the Longhorns will beat Clemson and advance to the second round of the CFP. Clemson is 0-2 against SEC teams this season.
When is Clemson vs. Texas?
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Date: Dec. 21
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Time: 4 p.m. ET
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Location: Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium (Austin, Texas)
CFP schedule
First round (campus site games)
Friday, Dec. 20, 2024:
No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame (8 p.m. ET, ABC)
Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024:
No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State (noon ET, TNT)
No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas (4 p.m. ET, TNT)
No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State (8 p.m. ET, ABC)
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Quarterfinals
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Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024: Fiesta Bowl (State Farm Stadium — Glendale, Arizona)
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Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025: Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta), Rose Bowl Game (Rose Bowl — Pasadena, California) and Allstate Sugar Bowl (Caesars Superdome — New Orleans)
Semifinals
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Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025: Capital One Orange Bowl (Hard Rock Stadium — Miami)
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Friday, Jan. 10, 2025: Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (AT&T Stadium — Arlington, Texas)
National championship
Monday, Jan. 20, 2025: Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Jay Haynes injury update: What we know about Clemson RB's status vs Texas
