Seminoles Nudge Past Wolfpack

Lorenzo Booker and James Coleman ran for third-quarter touchdowns Thursday night to help No. 11 Florida State rally past North Carolina State, 17-10, in an Atlantic Coast Conference game at Raleigh, N.C.

The 350th career victory for Seminole Coach Bobby Bowden was far from a masterpiece, with 22 punts, four turnovers and less than 250 yards of combined offense.

“It was a defensive game from the very beginning,” Bowden said. “I hadn’t seen a defensive battle like that in a long time. Totally dominating.”

Florida State (8-2, 6-2) went deep into the second quarter before its yardage total exceeded the number of plays. Quarterback Wyatt Sexton completed five of 18 passes for only 73 yards.

The Wolfpack (4-6, 3-5) touchdown came on Darrell Blackman’s 87-yard punt return.

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Darren Toney returned a punt for a touchdown and Eric Neihouse kicked three field goals to lift Arkansas State to a 16-7 victory over Utah State in a Sun Belt Conference game at Jonesboro, Ark.

The Indians (3-7, 3-3) overcame 11 penalties for 64 yards and two turnovers by intercepting three passes and recovering a fumble. The Aggies (2-8, 1-5), losers of six in a row, were playing their first game since Coach Mick Dennehy was fired Monday. Dennehy agreed to coach through season’s end.

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Less than a week after alumnus Joseph Korsak took out a half-page ad in The Collegian, the university’s student newspaper, calling for Joe Paterno to step down as Penn State coach, a Pittsburgh radio station acknowledged starting a rumor that Paterno would retire.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, former Steelers Tunch Ilkin and Craig Wolfley of Fox Sports Radio 970 in Pittsburgh, citing an unnamed source, said Thursday that Paterno would soon step down and defensive coordinator Tom Bradley would be his successor. Ilkin and Wolfley backed down from the statement in the afternoon.

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San Diego State Coach Tom Craft suspended senior tight end Jeremy Justice for the first half of Saturday’s game at Air Force as punishment for committing a personal foul late in last weekend’s game at Brigham Young.... Nevada Las Vegas cornerback Ruschard Dodd-Masters was suspended for Saturday’s game against Colorado State by the Mountain West Conference for punching Wyoming receiver Josh Barge in the throat.