RALEIGH, N.C. — Mike
Glennon found Bryan Underwood for a two yard touchdown pass on fourth down
with 16 seconds left, helping North Carolina State rally to beat
third-ranked Florida State 17-16 on Saturday night.
The Seminoles (5-1, 2-1 Atlantic
Coast Conference) appeared poised to strengthen their grip on their
division, leading 16-0 at halftime behind a dominating defensive
performance. But the Wolfpack (4-2, 1-1) inched closer after halftime
before coming up with a game-turning blocked punt by Mike Rose with 2:27
left, giving the ball back to Glennon at the FSU 43 with a chance to
complete a stunning comeback.
Glennon marched the Wolfpack down
the field and completed a pair of fourth-down passes, the second when
he found Underwood alone over the middle to tie the game and take the
lead on the ensuing point-after kick.
FSU drove near midfield in the
final seconds, but the Wolfpack defense knocked down EJ Manuel's
desperation heave near the goal line to end it.
The play sent the Wolfpack
players spilling onto the field in celebration, capping a stunning turn
considering how overmatched they looked in the first half.
N.C. State never led until
Glennon's late pass and Niklas Sade's PAT. N.C. State had just 68 yards
and four first downs in the first half, with the Seminoles using a short
touchdown pass from Manuel and three field goals from Dustin Hopkins to
silence a rowdy home crowd.
But the FSU team that was in such control going into the locker room isn't the one that came out for the second half.
Chris Thompson ran for 115 of his
141 yards in the first half for the Seminoles, while Manuel threw for
218 yards with an interception. Florida State managed just 122 yards
after halftime and squandered all three of their timeouts, which proved
crucial once the Wolfpack finally pushed in front.
