CLEMSON -- Spring games aren't totally unimportant, and we saw a haunting reminder of that when Clemson's backup quarterback suffered a torn Achilles.

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But on the whole, in the eyes of coaches there are other spring examinations that are much more important than the watered-down competition that takes place with fans inside the stadium and television cameras rolling.

With that in mind, the Tigers' final spring scrimmage eight days before the spring game probably told us more about the state of affairs inside a program that longs to bring a national title back to the Upstate.