One year after losing to N.C. State in an offensive shootout, the Florida State offense fired nothing but blanks Saturday night in a 17-7 loss that dropped the Seminoles to 8-4 but didn’t cost the Seminoles a trip to a BCS bowl.

Despite the loss, the Seminoles will still clinch the ACC championship and a berth in either the Sugar Bowl or the Orange Bowl, because Virginia defeated Maryland later Saturday night.

FSU (8-4, 7-1 in the ACC) was limited Saturday to 177 yards of offense by a Chuck Amato-coached Wolfpack defense that kept sophomore quarterback Adrian McPherson off balance all game. Amato, a longtime FSU assistant who is in his third season as the N.C. State head coach, now has two straight wins over the Seminoles.

With tailback Nick Maddox still hobbling with a sprained ankle, the Seminoles abandoned the running game early, and N.C. State threw a variety of blitz packages at McPherson.

Florida State's offensive output was the second lowest in Bobby Bowden's 325 games with the Seminoles. The worst was 173 yards at Nebraska in 1986.

Florida State’s only points came on an 84-yard fumble return by Michael Boulware in one of the strangest plays of the season. N.C. State had driven from its own 2-yard line to the Seminoles’ 20 on 13 plays and seemed poised to kick a field goal, which could have put them ahead 6-0.

But on fourth-and-8, N.C. State holder Chris Young tried to run an option play with kicker Adam Kiker. FSU defensive end Alonzo Jackson stopped the play short of the first down and forced the fumble, which Boulware scooped up and returned for the go-ahead score.

But that was about the last big play for Florida State.

The Wolfpack (10-3, 5-3) reclaimed the lead at 10-7 just two drives later on a bruising 6-yard run by freshman tailback T.A. McLendon with just over a minute remaining in the first half. That play was set up by a 60-yard run on a direct snap to running back Josh Brown, and N.C. State would never trail again.

McLendon finished with 114 yards against the ’Noles and went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season.

The Florida State offense, which entered the game as the most productive offense in the ACC, was largely ineffective throughout the game.

In the first half, the Seminoles amassed just 64 yards of offense and squandered two very good scoring opportunities. On the game’s first possession, FSU marched from its own 27-yard line to the N.C. State 16, but a penalty and two consecutive sacks dropped the Seminoles out of field goal range.

To make matters worse, Florida State punter Chance Gwaltney then dropped a low snap and had his rushed punt blocked by the Wolfpack’s Jerrick Hall, giving N.C. State the ball at its 48-yard line. The Wolfpack then capitalized on the Seminoles’ miscue and drove for a 22-yard field goal and a 3-0 advantage.

FSU looked primed to score again on its next possession, driving from its 29-yard line to the Wolfpack 35 on seven plays. But Adrian McPherson rushed a throw to Anquan Boldin on third-and-4, and the Seminoles were forced to punt again.

With N.C. State’s offense controlling the ball and draining the clock, the Seminoles only had four first-half possessions – and their final two drives of the half ended on their own side of the field.

Both teams were called for a number of penalties, but the Seminoles’ flags seemed to come at less-opportune moments. Early in the second half, Leon Washington had a 61-yard punt return for a touchdown called back on a holding penalty not related to the return.

Then, with the Seminoles already trailing 10-7 early in the fourth quarter, they were called for offensive holding in the end zone on a McPherson scramble. The call resulted in a safety and a 12-7 N.C. State lead.

After Jerricho Cotchery ripped a 49-yard return on the ensuing kick, the Wolfpack went ahead 15-7 on a 45-yard field goal.

N.C. State’s last score came on another safety when Wolfpack linebacker Manny Lawson blocked a Chance Gwaltney punt through the end zone.

Though they entered the game coming off of three straight conference losses, the Wolfpack became the first team in the ACC to beat Florida State in back-to-back seasons. This is also the first 10-win season in school history.