After an absolutely brutal first half, the Florida State football team made things interesting with a surge in the third quarter Saturday against visiting No. 19 N.C. State.
But the short-handed Seminoles, who were playing without starting quarterback Jordan Travis, dug themselves too big of a hole to climb out from, and they fell to the visiting Wolfpack, 28-14.
It was FSU's second consecutive loss after three straight wins, and it drops Mike Norvell's team to 3-6 on the season, 2-4 in ACC play. The Wolfpack improve to 7-2, 4-1.
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Box Score: N.C. State 28, FSU 14
Senior McKenzie Milton started at quarterback for the Seminoles because Travis was one of several players dealing with a flu-like illness this week, and he and the offense were completely ineffective in the opening two quarters.
The Wolfpack took a 14-0 lead into halftime after gobbling up 224 yards of total offense compared to just 78 for FSU.
But just when it looked like the 'Noles might get blown out, they came out with a trick play to start the third quarter, and it worked to perfection.
Parker Grothaus recovered his own onside kick attempt to give the Seminoles' offense the ball, and Milton cashed in with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Keyshawn Helton on a busted play.
Then after the Wolfpack pushed the lead back to 21-7, Milton drove the Seminoles 75 yards on nine plays for their second score of the day. Jashaun Corbin capped off the drive with a 3-yard touchdown plunge on fourth down from the wildcat formation.
N.C. State clung to its 21-14 lead for nearly a full quarter and then took advantage of a failed fourth-down call by the Seminoles midway through the fourth to put the game away.
After the Wolfpack got the stop on fourth-and-4, quarterback Devin Leary hit running back Ricky Person on a screen pass that went for 43 yards and a score.
FSU returns to action Saturday against visiting Miami at 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). The Hurricanes have won three straight games and are 5-4 on the season. They knocked off Georgia Tech on Saturday, 33-30.
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