CLEMSON -- Of late, it's been common and even reasonable for Clemson fans to point to Alabama's astounding receiver production as a means of illuminating the Tigers' decline in stature at the position.

But just as with anything in college football, things can change in a hurry. Last year's national championship game turned in Georgia's favor in part because Jameson Williams and John Metchie were injured.

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And two games in, the 2022 version of Alabama's offense looks startlingly ordinary with Williams and Metchie long gone.

Consider this: Through three quarters Saturday at Texas, Alabama had more penalty yardage (100) than passing yards (77). Through two games, including the opener against Utah State, the Crimson Tide has just four passing plays of 20 or more yards and zero of 30 or more yards.

When the Crimson Tide and Tigers spent four years trading national titles from 2015 to 2018, it was common and sensible to make regular comparisons between the two.

Now it's interesting and even a bit fascinating to check in with both at the position that was such a foundational part of that high achievement.

Antonio Williams has been a breath of fresh air through two games and 53 snaps at Clemson. He has seven catches for 76 yards, and that total would've been well more had Cade Klubnik and then DJ Uiagalelei seen him running free over the deep middle on two plays in the second and third quarters, respectively, last week against Furman.

He is dynamic, he is fearless, and he is instinctive enough to give this receiving corps something it did not have last year -- a season in which everyone came to fully appreciate the impact Amari Rodgers brought from the slot in 2020.