FSU can’t contain N.C. State’s Leary
Devin Leary threw for 314 yards and four touchdowns as North Carolina State jumped ahead of Florida State early and held off the Seminoles for a 28-14 win on Saturday in Tallahassee.
Leary connected with Trent Pennix, C.J. Riley, Christopher Toudle and Ricky Person on touchdowns — one in each quarter — for the Wolfpack (7-2, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference). Three of the touchdowns were big plays, with connections of 62 yards to Riley, 45 yards to Pennix and 43 yards to Person.
McKenzie Milton filled in as Florida State’s starting quarterback with Jordan Travis out. Milton completed 22 of 44 passes for 233 yards and scrambled to complete an 8yard touchdown pass to Keyshawn Helton, but the Seminoles (3-6, 2-4) were also plagued by drops from the start.
Leary connected with Riley and Toudle to give the Wolfpack a 14-0 lead at the half. Florida State’s offense was stuck in neutral, accumulating just 78 offensive yards and three first downs in the first 30 minutes.
Florida State was shut out in a half for the first time since the second half of a Week 3 loss at Wake Forest.
While the Wolfpack struggled on the ground,
Leary had his third straight 300-yard passing game and fourth of the season.
Florida State managed just 38 yards on 27 carries and struggled on third downs, going just 2 of 15.
UP NEXT
The Seminoles play host to Miami on Saturday seeking their first victory in the rivalry since 2016.
ELSEWHERE
Bethune-Cookman 35, Alcorn State 31: Shannon Patrick threw for a pair of touchdowns and host Bethune-Cookman rallied in the second half to beat Alcorn State 35-31 for its first win of the season.
The Wildcats (1-8, 1-5
ASouthwestern Athletic Conference) hadn’t recorded a win since Nov. 23, 2019 when they beat Florida A&M 31-27 at home.
Down 17-7 at halftime, Bethune-Cookman took the lead for good when LaDerrien Wilson crashed in from the 3-yard line for a 35-31 advantage early in the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats looked to add to the lead but Que’shaun Byrd was stripped of the ball deep in Alcorn State territory and the Braves recovered. Bethune-Cookman’s defense stiffened and held Alcorn State (5-4, 4-2) to 12 yards in seven plays and forced a punt with 5:17 left. The Wildcats nursed the clock to end it.