By William Qualkinbush.

It might seem like an unnecessary exercise to go through a rundown of the South Carolina State Bulldogs. After all, most fans simply consider it a transitional opponent to bridge the gap between Georgia and Florida State. But in homage to Dabo Swinney, who will undoubtedly outline the plethora of ways the Bulldogs can beat his team, here comes the rundown.

Last season, Clemson beat S.C. State 52-13 in early September in Death Valley. It was the kind of performance one would expect to produce such a victory. The Tigers will face the Bulldogs under similar circumstances this season, battered and bruised from a tough opening game against Georgia.

The blowout loss to Clemson notwithstanding, S.C. State was a tough team to tame last season. This was especially true on defense. The Bulldogs led the FCS ranks in total defense, allowing a miniscule 238 yards per game. They were third in scoring defense, surrendering 15.2 points per game and holding seven of their 13 opponents to single digits.

Other than linebacker Joseph Thomas, the leader of the unit in 2013, most of the major playmakers return from that unit. Last year, the Bulldogs were able to turn Tajh Boyd and the Clemson offense over a couple of times, so that will be a concern for the Tigers as they prepare to face a team adept at taking the ball away (24th in FCS in turnovers forced in 2013).

Quarterback Richard Cue will be back once again after a serviceable first year as the starter at quarterback. He will be flanked by a young group of skill players, led by rising sophomore Justin Taylor at tailback. Taylor is a difficult matchup as both a runner and a pass-catcher. The team will miss last year’s leading receiver Tyler McDonald, who led the conference in receiving yards and touchdowns.

The special teams unit will be struggling early in the season attempting to replace former placekicker Nick Belcher, who drilled a shade over 70 percent of his field goals last season. Belcher also averaged 39 yards per punt for the Bulldogs in 2013.

The bottom line is this: Clemson should have no problem taking care of South Carolina State. The Bulldogs represent the kind of opponent that should command at least some attention in terms of film study and scouting, particularly for the Tigers’ offense. It will be tough, but the coaching staff may be able to hold the team’s attention in an otherwise ho-hum week of preparation considering the opponent.