Clemson’s win over No. 14 Georgia in Athens, Ga., got Danny Ford’s Tigers on a role in 1986. Following the stunning upset over the Bulldogs, four more wins upped Clemson’s win streak to five games as the Tigers rolled through Georgia Tech, The Citadel, Virginia and Duke.
However, in a battle of top 20 teams, No. 20 NC State humbled the 16th-ranked Tigers in Raleigh, N.C., ending the five-game win streak and knocking Clemson out of the rankings. The Tigers bounced back the next behind Terrence Flagler’s 274 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns in at win at Wake Forest.