Although it all starts in the trenches in football, it's the skill-position players who finish the game. And Clemson and Auburn have plenty of skill players on both sides of the ball who are good enough to help either side win the 2007 Chick-fil-A Bowl. With that, we turn to the running backs, specifically how well they'll fare against the linebackers.

Clemson running backs (by Marc Hudgens):

Junior James Davis and sophomore C.J. Spiller are flat-out deadly. Gaining nationwide critical acclaim in 2006, these two athletes have made for Clemson's best rushing attack in years.

Davis in particular has really thrived this season; he's been the consistently great back he was last year and he had almost the same excellent stats this year (5.2 yards a touch, 83 yards a game) as he did last season (5.8 yards a touch, 91 yards a game). One would think that Davis has slipped a little, particularly considering he doesn't have as many touchdowns. Not so fast, though. There's no way to have duplicate stats two years in a row. Also, Davis has fewer carries this year, and that's most likely because he shares time with Spiller and Clemson's dangerous passing attack that only makes for a more balanced offense. So the enigma as to when Clemson will run or pass only makes Davis a bigger threat.

On the other hand, Spiller has not been as effective this year as he was last season, but there are several legitimate reasons for his drop-off in production. First, he's now branching out to a receiver position, so his duties are split there. Also, with speedster receiver Jacoby Ford injured and out for the rest of the season, Spiller serves as a kick and punt returner, so his duties are spread out even more. Additionally, Spiller, averaging 9.0 yards a catch, is a go-to guy for quarterback Cullen Harper. In all, Spiller is averaging 7.6 all-purpose yards a play and 125 per game. Further, the Floridian is so strong on special teams that he's an honorable mention All-ACC. Obviously, then, this guy is a threat no matter where he is on the field, which makes him less controllable than his buddy Davis. So it's rather understandable why Spiller hasn't produced as a running back, but he's still quite a weapon.

When game-time rolls around in this year's Chick-fil-A Bowl, expect these two to get a majority of playing time, and expect results.

How Clemson's running game can defeat Auburn's linebackers:

Getting past Auburn's unforgiving defensive line will be the first order of business -- and a tall one at that. So the pressure is really on Clemson's offensive line. But once Davis and Spiller clear it, you can safely tack on an additional 5 or so yards because it appears Auburn's linebacking corps this year is still young and inexperienced. The squad became depleted with the departures of tackling machines Will Herring and Karibi Dede after last year.

Junior outside linebacker Chris Evans is the most experienced of the three, and he leads the team in tackles with 35 solos and 28 assists. Manning the middle is sophomore Tray Blackmon and on the other side is freshman Craig Stevens. This makes for a situation where Clemson can target the side opposite of Evans, and Davis can dip his shoulder and break tackles. Clemson may also have to enlist fullback Alex Pearson to help punch some holes on that side, because that is where defensive ends Quentin Groves and Antonio Coleman are positioned.

Clemson's run game can wildly succeed when balanced with a solid passing attack. Harper's precise arm on the long ball will keep Auburn's linebackers at bay and maybe even drop one of its vicious defensive ends back to make for a 3-4 defensive front. The fewer players there are on Auburn's D-line, the weaker it is because there are fewer guys to block. Draw plays will most likely work.

Auburn linebackers 2007:

Auburn has gotten good production from its linebacking corps this season, even if there were some surprises and several changes throughout the campaign. Evans (63 total tackles) has had a good season. Unfortunately for the club, Stevens (33 tackles) could miss the Chick-fil-A Bowl with an ankle injury. Inside linebacker Blackmon (41 tackles in only eight games) is as talented as they come when he's able to stay on the field consistently. In fact, he can be a downright force when healthy. Because of a shoulder injury, Merrill Johnson, a guy who began the season starting on the outside, has been sidelined. However, he should be ready to play, and started in the Tigers' last game against the Tide. So did Bo Harris, by the way.

And then there's always the possibility that Quentin Groves could see time at a variety of positions including linebacker.

So rather than specify who will play it might be better to say the following: These guys are all talented. Further, they've all been productive.

And it sure doesn't hurt to have Auburn's defensive line playing in front of them.

Still, there is very formidable opposition on the other side of the ball in Spiller and Davis. In fact, one could make an argument that beyond Felix Jones and Darren McFadden, the Tigers haven't gone up against a better tandem this season. Of course, that Arkansas duo didn't do real well against Auburn because the Tigers dominated the line of scrimmage.

How Auburn's linebackers can stop Clemson's running game

Two things allowed Auburn to dominate the Arkansas running game so thoroughly (the Tigers only gave up 67 yards on the ground total). First, the team's defensive line dominated the competition up front. Could that happen in this game?

Yes.

The second thing that helped, however, was that the Razorbacks' passing game is weak. And if you allow Auburn to focus on just one thing, well, it's going to be a long day. Clemson has a much better passing game than Arkansas does (the Tigers averaged 254 aerial yards per game).

So the question is: Can Auburn's linebackers cover the middle of the field on the pass? If they can without doing anything fancy, and the Tigers' defensive backs can step up and play well against Clemson's wide receivers -- which isn't going to be an easy task no matter how good Auburn's defensive backfield is -- then the linebackers should have a big day against Clemson's backs in the running game.

In other words, Auburn's linebacking corps is only one piece to the puzzle against those excellent Clemson backs. You have to figure that Auburn's defensive line will do well; it always does. Further, the linebackers are talented enough to make stops on anybody when that occurs. However, if Clemson is able to take Auburn out of its comfort zone with a good passing game, then things could be different.

Clemson will have to pass to open up running lanes in this one. They have an outstanding backfield. But that backfield won't go anywhere unless holes are present, and the Clemson offensive line will need the benefit of a balanced attack.

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