Florida State looked to be in serious trouble after one quarter, as they fell behind 24-7 to North Carolina State. It did not last as the Seminoles outscored the Wolfpack 49-17 in the final 45 minutes to survive on Saturday.

Both offenses were fired up to start the game. The Wolfpack scored after only two plays when Jacoby Brissett found Bo Hines for a 54 yard touchdown. Florida State responded with Jameis Winston's 32 yard touchdown pass to Jesus Wilson.

North Carolina State would take a 14-7 lead when Shadrach Thornton ran in from 3 yards out. The Wolfpack defense forced a fumble on Winston's drop back and turned it into a 37 yard field goal to take a 17-7 lead. The Wolfpack made it 24-7 late in the first quarter when Brissett hit Johnathan Alston from 8 yards out for the score.

Everything seemed to be going the Wolfpack's way, but it did not last.

Karlos Williams pounded the ball in for a 4 yard touchdown run and then got a 22 yard touchdown pass from Winston to Christian Green to cut the deficit to 24-21. Both offenses sputtered after that, but they found their groove in the second half.

North Carolina State picked off Winston at their own 41 yard line and then drove for a touchdown to take a 31-21 lead. Brissett found Matt Dayes for a 10 yard score. Dalvin Cook responded with 19 yard touchdown run to close the gap back to 3 points at 31-28.

After Rashad Greene lost a fumble on the punt return, the Wolfpack restored their 10 point lead with Thornton's 10 yard touchdown run. It would not take long for Florida State to turn the 10 point deficit into a 4 point lead.

It started with Winston's 15 yard touchdown pass to Wilson. After a lost fumble by Brissett gave the ball back to Florida State inside the 10 yard line, Winston hit Greene for a 4 yard touchdown to take a 42-38 lead.

Williams pounded his way in from a yard out early in the fourth quarter to make it 49-38. Brissett lost another fumble, this one at the Florida State 13 yard line to keep points off the board. The Wolfpack got the ball back after Winston's second pick of the game. Niklas Sade hit a 25 yard field goal to bring the score to 49-41. However, Williams' third rushing touchdown of the day ended the scoring in Florida State's 56-41 win.

It was an up and down day for Jameis Winston. He went 26 of 38 for 365 yards with 4 touchdowns and two interceptions. He also lost a fumble that set up a field goal for the Wolfpack.

Karlos Williams had a stellar day running the ball. He ran 21 times for 126 yards and 3 touchdowns. Rashad Green caught 11 balls for 125 yards and a touchdown. Jesus Wilson caught 6 passes for 109 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Jacoby Brissett looked excellent passing the ball. He went 32 of 48 for 359 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also ran the ball for 38 yards on 13 carries, but had two turnovers. One turnover led to a Seminoles touchdown and the other kept points off the board for the Wolfpack.

Shadrack Thornton had 18 carries for 85 yards and 2 touchdowns. Thornton also caught 7 passes for 60 yards. Bo Hines caught 8 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown. David Grinnage had 4 catches for 87 yards.

Florida State (4-0, 2-0) has looked vulnerable this year, but they have won all their games thus far. They have a chance to take some anger out next week with a home game against Wake Forest (2-3, 0-1).

North Carolina State (4-1, 0-1) has another tough game next week. They travel to Clemson in a battle of two teams from the Carolinas.

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About the author
Matthew Dixon
I follow College Football at all levels; FBS, FCS, Division II, and Division III. In addition, I am a horse racing enthusiast.