1986 Clemson Tigers football team

The 1986 Clemson Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Clemson University in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its ninth season under head coach Danny Ford, the team compiled an 8–2–2 record (5–1–1 against conference opponents), won the ACC championship, defeated Stanford in the 1986 Gator Bowl, and outscored opponents by a total of 296 to 187.^[1][2] The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.

1986 Clemson Tigers football
ACC champion Gator Bowl champion
Gator Bowl, W 27–21 vs. Stanford
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 19
AP	No. 17
Record	8–2–2 (5–1–1 ACC)
Head coach	Danny Ford (9th season)
Captain	Terrence Flagler, Terence Mack
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1985 1987 →

1986 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 17 Clemson $	5	–	1	–	1			8	–	2	–	2
NC State	5	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	1
North Carolina	5	–	2	–	0			7	–	4	–	1
Georgia Tech	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	5	–	1
Maryland	2	–	3	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
Wake Forest	2	–	5	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Duke	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Virginia	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Terrence Flagler and Terence Mack were the team captains. The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Rodney Williams with 1,245 passing yards, Terrence Flagler with 1,258 rushing yards and 78 points scored (13 touchdowns), and Ray Williams with 280 receiving yards.^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 13	Virginia Tech*		Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	L 14–20	75,930
September 20	at No. 14 Georgia*		Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry)	W 31–28	81,377
September 27	at Georgia Tech		Grant Field Atlanta, GA (rivalry)	W 27–3	46,062
October 4	The Citadel*		Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	W 24–0	75,540
October 11	at Virginia	No. 20	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	W 31–17	44,300
October 18	Duke	No. 17	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	W 35–3	81,320
October 25	at No. 20 NC State	No. 16	Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC (Textile Bowl)	L 3–27	51,300
November 1	at Wake Forest		Groves Stadium Winston-Salem, NC	W 28–20	20,370
November 8	North Carolina		Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	W 38–10	79,210
November 15	at Maryland	No. 15	Memorial Stadium Baltimore, MD	T 17–17	58,758
November 22	South Carolina*	No. 19	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (Palmetto Bowl)	T 21–21	82,500	^[4]
December 27	vs. No. 20 Stanford*		Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl)	W 27–21	80,104
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Personnel

1986 Clemson Tigers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB Terrence Flagler (C) QB 13 Rodney Williams So	Defense Pos. # Name Class	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Danny Ford Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible   Injured   Redshirt Roster

References

1. "2016 Media Guide" (PDF). clemsontigers.com. Clemson Athletics. 2016. pp. 200–208. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
2. "1986 Clemson Tigers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 4, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "1986 Clemson Tigers Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 4, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Ron Green (November 23, 1986). "No smiles: USC 21, Clemson 21". The Greenville News. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.