DALLAS (FWAA) N.C. State stormed back from a 16-0 halftime deficit to register a 17-16 upset win over No. 3 Florida State to earn the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week honors for games of the weekend of Oct. 6. The announcement came exclusively on SiriusXM Radio's "College Sports Today," hosted by Mark Packer and Eddie George.
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The Wolfpack (4-2) made the most of a blocked punt with 2:27 left that gave it field position at the Florida State 43. Mike Glennon connected on two fourth-down passes in the winning drive, the second finding Bryan Underwood for a 2-yard touchdown with 16 seconds left. Niklas Sade's extra point provided the winning margin.
Third-ranked Florida State is the highest ranked opponent N.C. State has defeated since downing the No. 2 Seminoles, 24-7, in 1998.
"I kept telling (offensive coordinator Dana Bible) to get a fourth-down play ready," N.C. State head coach Tom O'Brien said. "The touchdown play was a play we practice a lot. (Underwood) did a good job of finding an open spot and (Glennon) did a good job of finding him."
Other Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Oct. 6 included:
The Football Writers Association of America has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. This is the eighth season that the award has been sponsored by the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
Members of the FWAA All-America Committee decide the weekly honor. Each remaining Monday during the 2012 college football regular season, the FWAA will name the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week. The winner will be announced through Nov. 26 at 9:30 a.m. ET on the SiriusXM College Sports Nation channel.
Founded in 1971, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl has hosted seven games that have decided the college football national championship, including four Bowl Championship Series title games. This season, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl will be played on Jan. 3, 2013, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., and the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl will be played on Dec. 29, 2012, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.
The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization
founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,200 men and women who cover college football
for a living. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists,
as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works
to govern areas that include gameday operations, major awards and its annual All-America
team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve
Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com or 972-713-6198.
For more information on the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week, go to
footballwriters.com or fiestabowl.org.