SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 26, 2013
No. 3 Florida State 49, North Carolina State 17: Jameis Winston threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns before sitting out most of the second half as the host Seminoles validated their No. 2 BCS ranking with a rout of the Wolfpack.
The redshirt-freshman sensation completed 16-of-26 passes for Florida State (7-0, 5-0 ACC), which has won 11 conference games in a row and is off to its best start since winning the national title in 1999. Rashad Greene caught eight passes for 137 yards and a score, and Devonta Freeman added 92 yards and two TDs on the ground.
Brandon Mitchell, playing his first game since breaking his left foot in the season opener, went 17-of-33 for 128 yards and two interceptions as North Carolina State (3-4, 0-4) lost its third in a row. Shadrach Thornton ran for 173 yards and two touchdowns, with most of the damage coming long after the outcome had been decided.
The Seminoles dominated from the opening kickoff, putting up 274 yards and 35 points in the first quarter while forcing the Wolfpack into as many turnovers — two — as first downs. Winston threw for 229 yards and three touchdowns as Florida State averaged 16.4 yards per play over the first 15 minutes.
Freeman added his second rushing TD with 3:06 remaining in the second quarter for a 42-0 halftime lead. Thornton scored on runs of 72 and 1 yards in the second half, but by that point most of the Seminoles’ starters were out of the game.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Legendary Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, who led the Seminoles from 1976-2009, was honored in a pregame ceremony. … Winston’s 229 yards passing in the first quarter were the most by an FBS quarterback this season. … The Seminoles became the last FBS team to attempt a fourth-down conversion, successfully running a fake-punt play in the second quarter.