There were a number of encouraging signs in Clemson’s game with Wofford, but it would be unwise to take the game out of context.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson looked relaxed and crisp in his first game since beating South Carolina and it’s unfathomable if there’s a team in the nation with more toys in its offensive chest.

Watson and his backups threw to 12 different receivers, and eight backs were credited with runs, which should be encouraging if Mike Williams needs to miss the App State game. Williams had barely broken a sweat when he caught a pass from Watson and collided with the goal post.

The first concern was Williams’ health. While he was being attended at the foot of The Hill behind the east end zone, replay officials were examining the play to see if Williams caught the ball, held it and touched the end zone.

A cart was ordered to carry him off the field to a waiting ambulance to a nearby hospital, and as the he motored toward the tunnel outside the locker room the crowd of 80,000 in Death Valley rose to applaud.

Virtual seconds after he was out of eyeshot, the play was ruled a touchdown – Clemson’s first of the season. Williams was administered an MRI as the game continued. Early reports didn’t reveal any significant issues, but because of the nature of the incident he’ll be monitored closely.

To say he won’t be missed would be unfair and an over-simplification. Williams is a generously gifted athlete and big target who caught 57 passes for 1,030 yards last season.

Let’s just say, Clemson has options, at a lot of positions.

A record 13 freshmen played Saturday, the most since the military conscription gutted the Clemson football team in 1943, and two of them were receivers Ray Ray McCloud and Deon Cain.

McCloud caught a game-high eight passes for 80 yards. Cain caught three for 36 yards. A bomb from backup quarterback Nick Schuessler slipped off Cain’s fingertips in the end zone.

Mitch Hyatt, who grew up coming to Clemson games with his uncle, started at left tackle. The coolest thing about being on the field, he said, was all the “inside stuff’ going on that those of us watching from the stands may never know.

By the way, the last guy freshman to start the season at left tackle for Clemson was Phil Prince, a member of that team during WWII. Prince went on to become Clemson’s president.

Another freshman, defensive lineman Austin Bryant, was credited with four tackles. Only three other players had more.

But perhaps the most remarkable play of the game was one that had virtually nothing to do with the outcome, a play by freshman quarterback Kelly Bryant, from nearby Wren High School.

Bryant chased down a snap from the 17-yard line that sailed over his head and into the end zone. Rather than fall on the ball for a safety, Bryant picked it up and ran. With the help of a block from reserve receiver Seth Ryan, he completed a remarkable one-yard gain.

“How many true freshmen would have the composure to pick the ball up and get it out of there?” said offensive coordinator Jeff Scott.

For sure. How many freshmen – true or redshirt – can one team rely on during a major college football season against teams like Notre Dame, Florida State, Georgia Tech and South Carolina?

At the moment, Clemson has 13 from a rich class of recruits, which was why the experience in this game and the next with App State are so important. If Williams can’t play for another week or two, Clemson still has two big targets in senior Charone Peake and Cain. If Ryan Norton’s knee forces him to miss time, junior Jay Guillermo and redshirt freshman Justin Falcinelli can step in at center.

And Watson was upright virtually the entire game with Hyatt blocking his blind side.

Perhaps once they get to Louisville that Thursday night, Clemson won’t need to put down papers for the puppies.