Seminoles mauled by Wolfpack 24-7
N.C. State hands No. 2 Florida State second-ever ACC loss
Posted: Sunday September 13, 1998 10:46 AM
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Hungry like the Wolf: North Carolina State is the first team to hold the Seminoles to seven or fewer points in 10 years AP |
RALEIGH, North Carolina (AP) -- Florida State has made passing and catching
-- one of the harder things to do on a consistent basis -- look easy
the last decade. It became brutally difficult for the second-ranked
Seminoles on Saturday.
North Carolina State, a 25-point underdog, threw more than a
scare into highly-ranked Florida State this time around, stunning
the Seminoles 24-7 for the program's biggest upset in 31 years.
"To go out there and hold that offensive football team to seven
points, that's miraculous, that is miraculous," said N.C. State
coach Mike O'Cain, the upset easily the biggest win of his six-year
career.
"Nobody gave us a dog's chance of coming in here and winning
this football game -- not a prayer," O'Cain added. "In fact it was
going to be a 30-point game or whatever the heck it was. We have a
great university here that nobody has heard about. I believe they
heard about N.C. State today."
Torry Holt, who caught five touchdowns against the Seminoles
last season in a 48-35 loss, burned Florida State again, scoring on
a 68-yard punt return and a 63-yard pass from Jamie Barnette with
9:31 left that sealed it for the Wolfpack.
"He hurt us again bad, he sure did," Florida State coach Bobby
Bowden said. "He made the plays that beat us -- he and that
quarterback."
N.C. State (2-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) last beat a team
ranked as high in 1967, defeating second-ranked Houston 16-6 on the
road with the so-called "White Shoes" defense.
Wolfpack fans began lining the sidelines with three minutes to
go. Thousands of fans stormed the field with 28 seconds left and
several piled onto both goal posts as time expired.
Torry Holt (right) scored on a 68-yard punt return and a 63-yard pass with 9:31 left that sealed it for the Wolfpack AP | |
The Seminoles (1-1, 0-1) have finished in the nation's top four
in each of the last 11 seasons with six ACC crowns in as many
seasons, but Bowden still doesn't have a perfect mark under his
belt in 23 years at Tallahassee, Florida
And the 69-year-old coach won't have one to his credit in 1998.
"Yeah, I'm pretty stunned," said Bowden, whose team was
shutout in three straight quarters for the first time since a 31-0
loss to Miami in 1988. "To get beat like that, I'm very surprised,
surprised how we fell apart."
The Seminoles came in 47-1 in ACC games since joining the league
in 1992 and riding an 18-game conference winning streak. But
26-year-old quarterback Chris Weinke threw a school-record six
interceptions to doom Florida State.
"We needed for them to make some mistakes, we needed for them
to throw some interceptions," said O'Cain, who pulled his left
calf muscle on Holt's last TD and limped off the field after the
win. "But at the same time they threw the interceptions and we
caught them. That is rising to the occasion, that is making
plays."
Weinke was 8-of-29 before being benched midway through the
fourth quarter after Holt's second score gave the Wolfpack a 24-7
lead. Weinke returned one series later, just long enough to tie the
ACC record for interceptions, held by two others.
"The bottom line is execution and I didn't execute," said
Weinke. "There was stuff open that I just missed. That is the
factor in the game. If I hit some of those open guys at least we
have a chance to win the game."
The Seminoles continued to pass -- the program's bread-and-butter
-- most of the game despite the Wolfpack giving up 361 yards on the
ground in its 34-31 season-opening victory against Ohio University.
And Florida State paid dearly for it, likely being ousted from the
national title picture in the second week of the season.
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Post-al workers: Delirious N.C. State fans remove the goal post from Carter-Finley Stadium after the upset win AP |
"I doubt if anybody is out yet with one loss ... but the way we
played today we wouldn't even be in the top 20," Bowden said.
The Seminoles trailed heading into the fourth quarter for only
the third time in 49 ACC games, but couldn't pull it out after
starting fast.
Weinke completed a 74-yard scoring pass to Peter Warrick, who
missed the week of practice with a sprained ankle, on Florida
State's first play from scrimmage to stun the Wolfpack.
But the first play was one of the few highlights of the opening
half for Weinke and the Seminoles.
On Florida State's second series, Weinke completed a 62-yard
pass to the Wolfpack 11, but three plays later threw the first of
three first-half interceptions -- two in the end zone.
The Wolfpack drove 99 yards to close to 7-6 as Holt caught
passes of 20 and 11 yards before Barnette found Eric Leak on a
31-yard scoring strike.
Less than 2 1/2 minutes later, Holt returned a punt 68 yards to
give the Wolfpack a 13-7 lead, the first punt return for a score
against the Seminoles since Nebraska's Dana Brinson took one 52
yards in the 1988 Fiesta Bowl.
The teams combined for 376 yards in the first quarter, including
174 yards passing by Weinke. But the sophomore hurt the Seminoles
on numerous first-half possessions, going 6-for-19.
A 39-yard punt return by Dee Feaster set up the Seminoles at the
Wolfpack 23 midway through the second quarter, but Weinke's pass
was intercepted at the goal line by the diving Jason Perry, who
made his third interception in two games.
N.C. State was threatening to build on its lead late in the half
by driving to the Florida State 15, but Barnette was sacked twice
and then threw an interception.
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