CLEMSON -- Two years ago, an Oregon quarterback facing questions was able to answer almost none of them against Georgia in the 2022 season opener.

The nature of that mauling, and the takeaways from it, sound all too familiar:

GIVE A GIFT SUBSCRIPTION TO TIGERILLUSTRATED.com!

A mere three points for the Bulldogs' victim.

An acrobatic, jaw-dropping interception by a safety named Starks.

A team not physically or mentally fit to hold up on the big stage against the big dog.

A quarterback who was doomed to sucking.

Turned out Bo Nix was pretty good after he was mocked that day, after he was mocked before that when he was at Auburn (including by yours truly). He went on to throw 74 touchdowns to just eight interceptions in 2022 and 2023 on the way to being selected in the first round of the NFL Draft a few months ago.

Turned out Oregon was pretty good as it won 22 of the next 26 games, with three of the losses coming to a pretty good Washington team.

Look: By now some of you are rolling your eyes at where this is headed as it relates to Clemson.

Some of you aren't in the mood for optimism because you think, not unreasonably, that excessive optimism is part of the problem with this program as it evaluates itself.

Scrutiny is warranted in the wake of what we witnessed Saturday. So is frustration and questions about whether this program will ever get back to "not taking a back seat to anyone," as we heard and saw so much during the glory days that now seem a galaxy away.

Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs didn't just keep Clemson out of the front seat; they battered the Tigers, bound their arms and legs with zip ties and stuffed them into the trunk.

They've done that to a lot of teams over the last three-plus seasons, and some of those teams have otherwise been good.