CLEMSON -- In the opener against Georgia, backup running backs Keith Adams and Jay Haynes combined for five snaps and two carries for 5 yards.

Starter Phil Mafah played 50 snaps and had 16 carries for 59 yards.

GIVE A GIFT SUBSCRIPTION TO TIGERILLUSTRATED.com!

In the aftermath, a college football person (not affiliated with Clemson) observed to us:

"That must mean they don't have much confidence in the guys behind Mafah."

We're not relaying that anecdote to create any sense of alarm because there shouldn't be at this point.

Yet as we try to wrap our arms around the big picture for this season -- and, of course, Clemson's all-consuming aspiration to get back to the elite level of college football -- the situation at running back surely is worthy of being discussed here amid an open date.