Seminoles get late score to edge Wolfpack 45-42 and spoil sensational performance by Wilson

Florida St. slips past NC State 45-42 on Reed TD

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State finally came out on top in another high-scoring thriller that was in doubt until the final play.

Bert Reed’s 3-yard touchdown run with 1:36 left Saturday lifted the Seminoles to a 45-42 win over North Carolina State.

NC State took its first lead at 42-38 with 3:50 left when Russell Wilson found Jarvis Williams for his third touchdown catch of the game.

The Seminoles answered with an eight-play, 66-yard drive. Jermaine Thomas ran for a career high 186 yards and a pair of touchdowns and freshman Chris Thompson scored twice on short runs for the Seminoles (4-4, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Wilson threw for 349 yards and a career-best five TDs for the Wolfpack (3-5, 0-4).

The smallest home crowd at Florida State since 1993, 67,712, witnessed the Seminoles win their second in a row after three straight losses.

And it turned out to be the latest thriller for the Seminoles, who had already lost heartbreakers at home to Miami and Georgia Tech.

The Seminoles took a 38-28 lead on Thompson’s second touchdown, a 4-yard run, with 11:52 left in the game, but NC State answered with a pair of quick touchdowns.

Florida State was balanced on offense, rushing for 278 yards while Christian Ponder added another 277 through the air. He completed 26 of 40, including a 6-yard touchdown pass to Rod Owens.

He was also picked off twice, the first ending a string of 254 passes without an interception.

Despite producing 42 points and 538 yards, NC State remained winless in the ACC as its defense has now allowed an average of 44 points a game in league play.

Wilson, the ACC’s all-conference quarterback last season as a freshman, hit on 20 of 30 throws and was also intercepted twice — the last pick by Florida State’s Jamie Robinson at the goal line ending the game.

Wilson passed for 228 yards in the first half, hooking up with Owen Spencer on an 80-yard scoring play and Williams on a 7-yard TD that tied the game at 21 with 1:29 left in the half.

Spencer finished the day with 165 yards on five catches.

Florida State’s Reed had 44 yards on four runs and caught six passes for 66 yards.