TheWolfpacker.com - FSU gets late score, win 45-42

October 31, 2009

Matt Carter and Jacey Zembal
TheWolfpacker.com Editor

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The NC State football team is ready to show that the lessons were learned during the bye week today against Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium.

The Wolfpack are 3-4 overall and 0-3 in the ACC, while the Seminoles are also 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the conference.

Florida State needed to go 98 yards for its first scoring drive.

Jermaine Thomas helped spark the Seminoles first touchdown in an unusual manner. He went right, fumbled, picked it up and reversed field for 20 yards and a first down to the NCSU 35-yard line.

Thomas later capped the 12-play drive with a four-yard touchdown run with 54 seconds left in the first half. The Seminoles rushed for 56 yards on seven carries, while quarterback Christian Ponder completed all five of his passes.

NC State only needed one play to tie the game, with quarterback Russell Wilson going 80 yards to wide receiver Owen Spencer with 40 seconds remaining in the opening quarter. Wilson performed a quality play-fake, and Spencer burned FSU freshman cornerback AJ Alexander on the middle post.

However, the Noles quickly responded with a three-play drive that went 68 yards for a touchdown. Ponder started the drive with a 39-yard pass to Taiwan Easterling and then a 19-yard strike to Bert Reed. Chris Thompson finished the drive off with a 6-yard touchdown with 14:27 left in the first half, giving FSU a 14-7 advantage.

NC State though answered on its next drive with a healthy does of running back Jamelle Eugene. He scored his first touchdown of the year on a 3-yard run. Overall he ran six times for 45 yards on the drive. His score tied the game at 14-14 with 10:33 to go in the half.

FSU needed only 47 seconds to take the lead back. Ponder hit Easterling for 16 yards on 1st and 10 at the FSU 30, and then Thomas scored his second touchdown of the game on a 54-yard run around the right side. FSU retook the lead 21-14 with 9:46 to go in the half.

The teams then traded rare punts before NC State tied it up with 1:29 left in the first half on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to Jarvis Williams. The drive started at the NC State 20, and on the first play Wilson hit Spencer for a 61-yard catch-and-run pass. State though went back on a pair of false starts and a seven-yard loss on a run by Eugene. FSU corner Greg Reid though bailed NC State out with a personal foul on a hit on Wilson, giving State a first down at the FSU 11. Without the flag State would have faced 3rd and 13 at the FSU 22.

The Pack had a chance to take the lead before halftime. Linebacker Terrell Manning picked off Ponder at the FSU 46. After a first down incompletion, Wilson hit Donald Bowens on an 8-yard pass to the FSU 38, but inexplicably State did not call one of their three timeouts with the clock ticking down. Instead, a hurried offense was flagged for illegal shift, and State finally called timeout with seven seconds left. Wilson was then intercepted on the final play of the half.

A pair of big third-down conversions led to a FSU touchdown to start the second half.

Florida State converted on a key third down and five to start the second half, with Ponder passing the ball eight yards to tight end Beau Reliford to the NCSU 9-yard line.

Ponder eventually found receiver Rod Owens on another third down down play for a six-yard touchdown to give the Seminoles a 28-21 lead. Owens shook NCSU cornerback C.J. Wilson in the back of the end zone with 10:44 left in the third quarter.

NC State answered with a big third-down conversion of its own. Wilson and the offense faced third down and 11 at the FSU 38. Darrell Davis found some open space in the middle of the field and ran 32 yards to the Seminoles' six-yard line. Wilson then found Williams for his second touchdown of the game with 7:42 left in the third quarter to tie the game 28-28.

Florida State got a big break when NCSU defensive tackle Natanu Mageo got an interception off a tipped pass, but then Mageo fumbled it back on the return at the FSU 18-yard line.

Ponder converted another big third down and five play with a 11-yard pass to Owens, and then Bert Reed took a reverse pitch and went 14 yards to the NCSU 14-yard line.

Florida State took advantage of its good fortune, but the Seminoles self-destructed with a costly holding penalty that wiped out a pass to Reed, that went to the one-yard line. The penalty saved NC State four points in all likelihood with freshman kicker Dustin Hopkins making a 24-yard field goal to give the Seminoles' a 31-28 lead with a minute left in the third quarter.

NC State then got an ill-timed three and out. The Noles started with good field possession at their own 46, and drove 54 yards for a touchdown on Thompson's 4-yard run. The drive was kept alive by a crucial 17 yard pass from Ponder to Rod Owens on 3rd and 7 at the FSU 49.

Florida State led 38-28 with 11:52 left in the game, but NC State proved they would not quit. Behind Baker, the Pack marched down the field in seven plays for 80 yards. Baker ran four times for 33 yards on the drive, and Wilson hit tight end George Bryan for a 29-yard touchdown with 8:34 left to cut FSU's lead to 38-35.

The Pack defense forced a rare FSU three and out, and got the ball with 7:29 left in the game at the FSU 38 following a personal foul horse collar tackle flag on the Noles.

NC State then took its first lead of the game when Wilson hit Williams for a touchdown for the third time, this time a 5-yarder with 3:50 left. NC State led 42-38.

The Noles though quickly marched down the field to threaten with the game-winning touchdown. The Noles faced 1st and goal at the 5-yard line with 1:58 left in the game.

On first down, Thomas ran for two yards and NC State called timeout, its first of the second half, with 1:45 remaining. On second down, Ponder tried a quick out to Easterling, but NC State defensive end Willie Young deflected the pass away at the line of scrimmage.

On 3rd and goal, Bert Reed took an end-around for a 3-yard touchdown with 1:36 left.

NC State had two timeouts left, and they took over at the 20 after Hopkins' kickoff went out of the end zone.

Wilson ran for 14 yards on first down. He then connected with Spencer for six yards and Bryan for eight more to get another first down. Another 8-yarder to Bryan along the sideline was followed by a 3-yard run by Wilson to the FSU 43, where NC State called its second timeout with 31 seconds left.

Under heavy pressure from Dekoda Watson, Wilson shoveled a pass out to Eugene for a yard loss, forcing State to call its final timeout with 23 seconds left. Wilson was sacked on second down at midfield. Wilson spiked the ball with five seconds left. His desperate heave was intercepted in the end zone.

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