Will it be deja vu for Tigers?

CLEMSON — Clemson will see a familiar face on the opposite sideline Saturday at North Carolina State.

The Tigers' offense just hopes Wolfpack defensive coordinator Mike Archer doesn't produce a familiar result.

When last seen against Clemson, Archer helped Kentucky limit the Tigers' offense to six points through three-plus quarters last year in the Wildcats' 28-20 Music City Bowl victory.

Archer is now working for first-year N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien, and Tigers coach Tommy Bowden said he expects to see a lot of the same wrinkles.

Clemson's offense was a wreck in the first half of the bowl game. During one stretch spanning the second and third quarters, the Tigers turned the ball over on four of six possessions — and all four were in Wildcats territory.

Clemson was forced to play catch-up as it quickly fell behind, the deficit eventually ballooning to 28-6. The Tigers threw the ball 39 times, completing 23, and got it to tailbacks James Davis and C.J. Spiller a total of 13 times for 77 yards.

"I think it was an aberration," Clemson offensive coordinator Rob Spence said of the run-pass imbalance. "We were behind. We had all the turnovers in the game — absolutely an aberration, definitely. Very disappointing to me that that would happen."

Sorry, Lloyd

Bowden said he called Michigan coach Lloyd Carr earlier this week to tell him he meant no harm in statements referring to Carr after last week's win over Furman. Bowden said he was grateful for the 38-10 win and added: "That's not something Lloyd Carr can say."

Bowden was referring to Michigan's opening loss to Appalachian State, which is in the Southern Conference with the Paladins. The Detroit Free Press ran a news item with the headline "Bowden rips Carr after beating Appalachian State rival."

Bowden said his statement was taken out of context and that he considers Carr a friend.

"I guess people in that part of the country are not familiar with the Furman-Appalachian State rivalry, how close it's been."

Weighing in on Spygate

In the wake of the NFL spying scandal involving the New England Patriots, Bowden said he doesn't think a similar practice would be easily pulled off in college football: "It's pretty hard. It's easy to cheat in recruiting. It's hard to cheat on game day as far as getting video."

Larry Williams