Veteran players treated to downtime

On the beat: Clemson

CLEMSON — Tailback James Davis and linebackers coach David Blackwell crossed paths outside Clemson's locker room following Tuesday's scrimmage.

"Tired, James?" Blackwell asked.

"Man," Davis responded. "I wish I was."

The Tigers' coaching staff has focused on evaluating second-tier players during the past two scrimmages, making it a breeze for a cluster of established veterans.

In Tuesday morning's session at Memorial Stadium, Davis hardly broke a sweat while carrying the ball just once. Other guys who did more watching than playing were tailback C.J. Spiller, receivers Aaron Kelly, Tyler Grisham and Jacoby Ford, safeties Michael Hamlin and Chris Clemons, defensive end Ricky Sapp, and defensive tackle Dorell Scott.

Davis said this is by far the least playing time he's seen during preseason camp in the four years he's been at Clemson. He said the time off for the veterans should pay off in the form of fresh legs in next week's opener against Alabama.

"It takes the pressure off us a lot as far as getting a lot of contact, so we won't be all banged up and bruised up going into the season. … It'll help us at the end of the season, too."

Injury update

Redshirt freshman Mason Cloy, the top backup at guard behind Jamarcus Grant and Barry Humphries, suffered what he termed a sprained knee during the scrimmage. Cloy, who walked under his own power with a slight limp after practice, said he should be OK.

Running back Jamie Harper (sprained ankle) walked with a limp that wasn't as pronounced as a day earlier. Cornerback Byron Maxwell tweaked his ankle on a blitz but said he should be fine. Defensive end Rennie Moore suffered a concussion.

Bowden demands more

The No. 9 Tigers have today off for the start of classes, and they'll resume Thursday with the commencement of full-scale preparations for the No. 24 Crimson Tide. Coach Tommy Bowden delivered a stern lecture after the scrimmage, imploring his team to show urgency befitting a Top 10 team.

He was miffed by some sloppiness by the first-team offensive line, which committed penalties and struggled with center-QB exchanges and shotgun snaps. He also said the Tigers haven't found an answer at safety behind Hamlin and Clemons.

"Just not a real sharp workout," he said. "You try to justify it in your mind by saying look who you held out. But there's still some disappointment in some upperclassmen, guys we played that have got to perform better."

Jenkins coming on

Bowden had good things to say about sophomore defensive tackle Jarvis Jenkins, who's battling junior Jamie Cumbie for the starting spot.

Jenkins, at 6-4 and 300 pounds, has lost about 25 pounds over the past year. "It's kind of like he's been reborn a little bit," Bowden said. "His body has changed, maturity has changed. Probably one of the biggest changes of the freshmen we signed last year would be Jarvis Jenkins."

Ellington shines

Freshman tailback Andre Ellington took advantage of the extra playing time, hauling in a 25-yard TD reception. Ellington, a former Berkeley High standout, took in a pass from Cullen Harper on a wheel route and juked a few defenders before racing into the end zone untouched.