No. 2 Florida State Falls to North Carolina State

RALEIGH, N.C. —  North Carolina State, a 25-point underdog, threw more than a scare into Florida State this time around, stunning the No. 2-ranked Seminoles, 24-7, on Saturday in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.

“To go out there and hold that offensive football team to seven points, that’s miraculous, that is miraculous,” said North Carolina State Coach Mike O’Cain after the biggest victory in his six years at the school. “Nobody gave us a dog’s chance of coming in here and winning this football game--not a prayer.”

Torry Holt, who had five touchdown receptions against Florida State last season in a 48-35 loss, burned the Seminoles (1-1) again, scoring on a 68-yard punt return and a 63-yard pass play from Jamie Barnette with 9:31 left that secured the victory for North Carolina State (2-0).

Wolfpack fans began lining the sidelines with three minutes to go. Thousands of fans stormed the field with 28 seconds left and several piled onto both goal posts as time expired.

The last time North Carolina State defeated a team ranked as high as Florida State was in 1967, when it beat No. 2 Houston, 16-6, at the Astrodome.

Florida State has finished in the nation’s top four in each of the last 11 seasons but Coach Bobby Bowden, in his 23rd season with the Seminoles, again won’t have a perfect record.

“Yeah, I’m pretty stunned,” said Bowden, whose team was shut out in three consecutive quarters for the first time since a 31-0 loss to Miami in 1988. “I’m very surprised, surprised how we fell apart.”

Florida State’s 26-year-old quarterback Chris Weinke completed only nine of 32 passes and threw a school-record six interceptions.