NO. 1 FLORIDA STATE 56,
NORTH CAROLINA STATE 41
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Jameis Winston threw for 365 yards and four touchdowns in his return from a one-game suspension, helping No. 1 Florida State rally from 17 down to beat North Carolina State 56-41 on Saturday night.
The Heisman Trophy winner directed four consecutive second-half touchdown drives to help the defending national champions extend the nation's longest active winning streak to a program-record 20 games.
Rashad Greene caught 11 passes for 125 yards and the go-ahead score for the Seminoles (4-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), while Karlos Williams ran for three touchdowns -- the last with 2:07 left to seal it.
Winston was suspended for making an obscene public comment on campus last week, then watched backup Sean Maguire lead FSU to an overtime home victory against Clemson.
Winston shook off a third-quarter interception to keep the Seminoles pushing forward against the Wolfpack (4-1, 0-1) and quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
Brissett, a Florida transfer who was on the sideline for the Gators during FSU's last loss in November 2012, threw for 359 yards and three touchdowns while keeping momentum for the Wolfpack in the program's first-ever home game against a No. 1-ranked team.
N.C. State led 24-7 after the first quarter and 38-28 midway through the third quarter after Shadrach Thornton's 10-yard scoring run.
Winston directed a quick 71-yard drive that ended with a 15-yard scoring pass to Jesus Wilson, then capitalized on Brissett's fumble by zipping the ball to Greene for a 42-38 lead with 3:24 left in the third.
Williams' 1-yard scoring run pushed that lead to 49-38 early in the fourth, a cushion that ultimately held up.
Winston also came through with two key third-down conversions in the final minutes after the Wolfpack kicked a field goal to make it a one-possession game -- the last being a 20-yard run on third-and-11 with about 3 1/2 minutes left.
Williams capped that drive with a 12-yard score, giving him 126 yards rushing for the day.
FSU has now won 17 consecutive games against ACC opponents, a run that began after a loss here in October 2012.
It was a frustrating finish for N.C. State considering its promising start. Brissett connected with freshman Bo Hines for a 54-yard touchdown pass just 18 seconds into the game.
Brissett then stayed on his feet to break away from a tackle near the sideline to throw an 8-yard scoring pass to Johnathan Alston for a 24-7 lead with 2:06 left in the opening period.
It marked the first time in program history that FSU had given up 24 points in the opening quarter.
In other games involving teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Brandon Radliff ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns as host Louisville outlasted Wake Forest for a 20-10 victory. Listed fourth on the depth chart, Radcliff's first career 100-yard effort on 17 carries was much needed as Louisville (4-1, 2-1 ACC) overcame three lost fumbles and 11 penalties. The Cardinals defense kept Wake Forest (2-3, 0-1) to minus-22 yards rushing and had three takeaways, setting up both touchdowns. Louisville also had eight sacks. ... Garrett Grayson threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Charles Lovett on a fourth-down play with 1:20 left to lift Colorado State to a 24-21 victory over Boston College in Boston. Grayson completed 28 of 42 passes for 269 yards with 2 touchdowns for Colorado State (3-1). Tyler Murphy ran for 79 yards for Boston College (3-2). ... Matt Johns overcame two early interceptions to throw for two touchdowns and run for another as Virginia (3-2) pulled away to beat Kent State (0-4) 45-13 in Charlottesville, Va. ... Michael Brewer threw two touchdowns and Virginia Tech (3-2) stopped a two-game slide with a 35-17 home victory over Western Michigan. Marshawn Williams added 119 yards rushing for Virginia Tech, which had 308 yards rushing as a team. ... Conor Hundley rushed for 148 yards on 19 carries as Akron beat Pittsburgh 21-10 in Pittsburgh. Kyle Pohl passed for 193 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception and Akron (2-2) outgained Pittsburgh (3-2) 382-349.
Sports on 09/28/2014