When The Citadel has the ball

The Bulldogs feature a pass-oriented offense, keyed by FCS All-America receiver Andre Roberts, who had 78 catches for 1,060 yards and 10 scores as a sophomore last season. Sophomore Bart Blanchard does an excellent job getting him the ball, but The Citadel does have questions on the offensive line and at tailback. Clemson is trying to recover from last week’s mauling at Alabama’s hands — the Crimson Tide pretty much did whatever it wanted, especially on the ground, where it outrushed Clemson 239-0. Watch the Tigers’ defensive line, which will be without bandit end Ricky Sapp (bruised knee) and defensive tackle Jamie Cumbie (broken wrist, out for season). Clemson must also be more physical and tackle better, two big points of emphasis this week.

Advantage: Clemson

When Clemson has the ball

Clemson never found a groove last week against a punishing Alabama defense, although holding the ball for only 18 minutes didn’t help. The “Thunder and Lightning” backfield combo of James Davis and C.J. Spiller combined for only 20 yards. They should find more holes today, although a key will be how well redshirt freshman guards Mason Cloy and David Smith handle their first career starts. The offensive line looked overmatched at times against Alabama. The Citadel has an experienced defensive line and secondary, but features question marks at linebacker, where no starters return from 2007.

Advantage: Clemson

Special teams

Special teams featured Clemson’s only highlights last week — C.J. Spiller’s 96-yard kickoff return to open the second half was the Tigers’ only touchdown, and kicker Mark Buchholz made the only field goal he tried. Freshman punter Dawson Zimmerman started last week, averaging 40 yards on four kicks including a 51-yard boot, but senior Jimmy Maners is pushing hard for the job and could start today. Roberts can be a dangerous punt returner, and the Bulldogs do have a second-team Southern Conference punter in Mark Kaspar, who averaged 40.9 yards per kick last season. The Bulldogs also blocked six kicks last season.

Advantage: Clemson

The bottom line

Clemson was shocked, stunned, surprised — you name the adjective — by last week’s 34-10 loss to Alabama, which sent the Tigers tumbling from No. 9 to out of the top 25. Today, they get a chance to take out their frustrations on someone smaller. They’ve had a whole week to think about the Georgia Dome debacle, and that’s not a good thing for The Citadel. The Bulldogs aren’t intimidated by big-time environments — they were tied with Wisconsin at halftime inside raucous Camp Randall Stadium last season. But Clemson is deeper, quicker, and, at least this week, angrier than the Bulldogs can hope to be.

Prediction: Clemson 42, The Citadel 20.