Monday, September 08, 2008 | Posted by Marc Hudgens

The Clemson Tigers routed The Citadel, 45-17, on Saturday, but so what? After Clemson's 34-10 loss to Alabama in Week 1, its second-week triumph isn't exactly worth much applause.

Clemson fans are so dejected that only 76,000 loyalists showed up for the Tigers' first home game (about 5,000 shy of capacity). If you can't fill up Death Valley on the first home game of the year, you've really screwed up.

Sure, tailbacks James Davis and C.J. Spiller looked great, running for a combined 182 yards and four touchdowns on 19 touches; their performance was a far cry from their eight combined carries against the Crimson Tide. Quarterback Cullen Harper ended the game with good stats, adding 192 yards and a score on 14 completions, in spite of sharing time with touted backup Willy Korn. And, according to head coach Tommy Bowden, the team has found the right combination along the offensive line.

“It looks like they got their hats on the right bodies," said Bowden.

Well, fans should wait and see as far as that's concerned; after all, Clemson's Week 2 showing came against an FCS (1-AA) team. Therefore, it's hard to be certain that the Tigers' O-line is set.

The bad news for Clemson is that, even after winning a meaningless game, its next few contests won't measure much. Against lowly North Carolina State, South Carolina State (another FCS foe) and struggling Maryland, the Tigers should be able to fare fine and escape with a 4-1 mark through five contests. After that, they play ACC power Wake Forest; that's where everyone will know whether Clemson has truly recovered from its opening-weekend embarrassment at the hands of the Tide.

Of course, losing any of the next three games will say volumes.

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