FSU Will Stay Number One
It wasn't revenge, but getting even was a kick. Actually, lots of kicks.
Sebastian Janikowski booted five field goals and Florida State forced six turnovers as the top-ranked Seminoles defeated No. 20 North Carolina State 42-11 Saturday.
Florida State (3-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) is 100-13-1 this decade the only school to reach the century mark in wins. The Seminoles also are 56-2 in the ACC as they go after an eighth straight league title.
North Carolina State (3-1, 0-1) upset the Seminoles 24-7 last year behind quarterback Jamie Barnette, who was intercepted four times Saturday.
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Florida State's victory was pieced together by big plays on defense and Janikowski's booming kicks.
"We came out strong and they got paid back," Janikowski said. "That's the best feeling ever."
Two turnovers by Barnette resulted in Florida State touchdowns.
Abdual Howard returned one interception 47 yards for the game's final score and Jamal Reynolds recovered a Barnette fumble in the end zone for a third quarter TD that gave Florida State a 32-11 lead. The ball was stripped by David Warren.
"That really turned the game around," said Barnette, who was also sacked three times.
N.C. State missed former receiver Torry Holt, who caught six TD passes against Florida State the previous two years.
"We could gamble a little more since they did not have Holt," said Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden. "We could go after the quarterback a little more since we knew Holt was not running around out there."
Barnette, who threw for 287 yards against Florida State last year, was 10-of-25 for 129 yards.
Janikowski, whose 27 field goals last year were two short of an NCAA record, has nine field goals in the first three games for Florida State (3-0, 2-0 ACC). H also kicked five last year against Maryland.
Florida State led 18-3 at the half on a 1-yard touchdown run by fullback Dan Kendra and four field goals.
Janikowski, a left-footed junior, kicked field goals of 30, 47, 22 and 31 yards. He also ran down N.C. State's Clayton White, who intercepted a 2-point conversion pass thrown by holder Marcus Outzen after a poor snap.
Janikowski added a 47-yarder in the fourth quarter.
Travis Minor scored on a 2-yard run that gave Florida State a 25-3 lead early in the third quarter.
Kent Passingham's 22-yard field goal that briefly tied the game 3-3 in the first quarter and Rahshon Spikes' 3-yard run in the third quarter accounted for the Wolfpack scoring. Spikes led all runners with 89 yards on 21 carries.
"They came down here with some confidence because they won last year," Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke said. "We wanted to take that confidence out of them early."
Florida State's offense struggled all day, managing 378 yards its lowest output in three games.
"We're not as good offensively as last year, but we're better defensively," O'Cain said.
Weinke, who threw six interceptions in last year's loss, was intercepted twice Saturday and failed for the first time in 13 starts at Florida State to throw a TD pass.
"I would have loved to have buried those guys," Weinke said. "And we didn't bury them."
"Forty two points is not enough against a team that humiliated us last year," said Florida State's Peter Warrick, who caught nine passes for 75 yards and returned 2 punts for 46 yards.
Bowden was more philosophic.
"The offense has been kind of inconsistent," he said. "But there's no need in me complaining about 42 points."
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