CLEMSON | A hardened skeptic would come up with reasons to avoid marveling too much over Clemson's 2-0 start.

Chief among them: The opposition.

Wake Forest probably isn't very good. The Citadel, with a depleted roster, probably shouldn't have even been on the field Saturday it was so comically overmatched.

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But it's also possible to look deeper than just the competition.

With this Clemson team, it's impossible not to.

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The front-line 2020 Tigers don't just blow you away with their talent. They also put your jaw on the floor with their display of peak, late-season form as if the last six disjointing months never happened.

No, we don't want to make too big a deal of the No. 1 team in the country doing anything and everything it wanted against an FCS team in a 49-0 rout.

And as a scoreless second half proved, most of the backups have plenty of developing to do.

But a lot of what this team has done so far would be impressive against air, to the point that even the most relentless skeptic would have to be impressed.

Leading the way, of course, is Trevor Lawrence. He's just playing a different game than everyone else, and that was once again on display Saturday with his astounding deep-ball accuracy (among other things).

Not far behind is freshman Myles Murphy, who's just wrecking everything and making you wonder if he might be a No. 1 NFL Draft pick one day.

The offense scored touchdowns on its first seven possessions. The defense added a touchdown on a fumble return by Jamie Skalski (fumble forced by Murphy).

This team has been energized and galvanized by its love of the game, sure, but also by the knowledge of just how terrifyingly good it can be.

At the 5:31 mark of the second quarter, Clemson had 49 points and The Citadel had five ... yards.

Offered a chance for a running clock in the second half, Bulldogs coach Brent Thompson refused. Seemed like a crazy decision at the time, what with Clemson threatening to hang triple digits on the scoreboard and all.

Turned out it wasn't a bad move at all. The Bulldogs gained some confidence in shutting out the Tigers in the second half and moving the ball some. And if Thompson chose to throw a party for covering the 49.5-point spread, no one would blame him.

Clemson totaled 405 yards, 243 passing and 162 rushing. The Tigers were 8-of-14 on third downs and averaged 6.8 yards on 60 plays.

Clemson did fumble four times, losing one (Mikey Dukes).

The Citadel mustered 162 yards and rushed for 86 but converted just three third downs on 16 attempts.

Murphy and the defensive line continued to rampage despite missing Tyler Davis, Justin Foster and Xavier Thomas.

Clemson had 12 tackles for loss, and freshman DeMonte Capehart made a noticeable debut in a mop-up role by recording two tackles for loss and disrupting from the nose-guard spot.

Lawrence played four possessions and completed 8 of 9 passes for 168 yards and three touchdowns. Travis Etienne rushed for 68 yards on eight carries.

D.J. Uiagalelei got extended action and produced two power-running touchdowns at the goal line while compiling an 8-of-11 passing clip for 75 yards.

After the tight ends showcased themselves at Wake Forest, it was time to work unproven receivers in Game 2.

Frank Ladson made the case that he might be ready for primetime, hauling in two touchdown catches.

The sophomore opened the scoring by plucking a pass from the reach of a defensive back in the middle of the end zone for a 17-yard score.

Later, after Swinney inserted Uiagalelei to get him some short-field work after a long punt return by Etienne, Lawrence came back in for one last appearance.

From the opposite hash he unleashed a moon shot that hit Ladson perfectly in stride for a 54-yard strike that put Clemson up 42-0.

The Tigers now get an open date to prepare for an Oct. 3 visit from Virginia.

After all that waiting, they pause again.

Meantime, it's hard to argue against the notion that this is the best team in the country.

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