Clemson, SC - After throwing an interception along the sideline, Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder threw himself into Clemson safety DeAndre McDaniel resulting in a powerful collision.

As a result of the hit, Ponder has separated his throwing shoulder.

Chapel Hill, NC - Christian Ponder threw for a career-high 395 yards and three touchdowns to help Florida State beat North Carolina 30-27 at Kenan Stadium on Thursday night.

Rod Owens added career-highs of nine catches for 199 yards, including a 98-yard score, for the FSU Seminoles.

Florida State finished with 438 total yards, the most allowed by North Carolina all season. Ponder completed 33 of 40 passes.

Click here to see over 100 photos from the FSU at UNC football game by sports photographer Gene Galin.

Chapel Hill, NC - Postgame quotes about the North Carolina versus Florida State football game.

North Carolina Head Coach Butch Davis
Obviously we're very disappointed in the outcome of the ballgame. It was a tough loss. I thought that our football team was very well prepared. I thought that the way we started the game was the way we had practiced for the last 10 days, the efficiency, the effectiveness, the things that we were doing, both offensively and defensively and special teams.

Chapel Hill, NC - (Parody) With the calendar fast approaching 10-22-09, a large group of people must deal with the logistics of the traffic coming into Chapel Hill, North Carolina for the first ever Thursday Night ESPN football between UNC and FSU. Will you be one of the fortunate ones to make the opening kickoff?

Tallahassee, Fla. - Sunday was actually Tuesday for the Florida State football team, at least in terms of preparation for Thursday night's Atlantic Coast Conference date at North Carolina.

The Seminoles hit the practice field in full pads Sunday for a 22-period session that drew high marks from the coaching staff.

"It was a pretty lively practice," Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said, after the 'Noles wrapped up work on a brisk day. "They were hitting pretty dadgum good."

Bowden said he hopes to nicked up senior linebacker Dekoda Watson (groin strain) and cornerback Patrick Robinson (ankle sprain) available for a game the Seminoles must have to stay in the wide-open Atlantic Division race. Watson has been limited to non-contact work, while Robinson has been practicing.

"I thought our tempo was good," said FSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher. "The guys' attitude was good; the work ethic was good."

Fisher indicated that the Tar Heels' ACC-leading defense will provide the offense with its toughest test of the season.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Getting off to a fast start Saturday on the road could be the best antidote for a young Florida State football team trying to find its identity.
"It would be nice," FSU coach Bobby Bowden said, following Wednesday's practice. "It doesn't necessarily mean you'll win it if you do, because you have 60 minutes to play. ... It would definitely help to gain confidence."
History suggests a fast starts bode well when the Seminoles take on Boston College. The winner in each of the four previous Atlantic Coast Conference meetings between the schools has put the first touchdown on the board. That was true in 2005, when the Seminoles raced to a 14-0 first quarter lead and won 28-17and again in 2007, when the 'Noles jumped out 10-0 in a 27-17 triumph.

This year's Miami at Florida State game drew a sterling television rating of 5.89. With over 8.4 million viewers, this game is ESPN's second most-viewed regular season college football game ever with only the 2006 FSU-Miami game ranking higher. Combined with the 4.2 rating that Virginia Tech-Alabama received on Saturday night, the ACC was involved in the two highest-rated college football games of the opening weekend.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Unranked but undaunted, Florida State returned to the practice field Wednesday for the first time since Monday night's crushing, 38-34 loss to Miami at Doak Campbell Stadium.

The Seminoles don't have time to sulk over the loss because Jacksonville State, a nationally-ranked Football Championship Subdivision team led by former LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux, brings challenging offensive and defensive schemes to Doak Campbell Stadium Saturday night (6 p.m., ESPN360.com).

"It's very difficult," FSU coach Bobby Bowden said of the short turnaround. "You're really rushed for time."

The No. 21 Gamecocks, who are coming off a 37-17 loss at Georgia Tech, figure to benefit from Perrilloux's return following a one-game suspension.

Offensively, Jacksonville State spreads it out, mixing option work with Perrilloux's big-play passing ability. Defensively, the Gamecocks show a three-man defensive front.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - As Bobby Bowden has often said following the final practice before a game: "The hay is in the barn."

The 18th-ranked Seminoles completed their final on-field preparations for Monday night's opener against rival Miami with a 15-period practice in shorts Saturday evening.

"We've covered everything we've needed to cover in the time we've had," said Bowden, who will try an improve on his 14-0 record when opening a season inside Doak Campbell Stadiu. "We've been very fortunate with the weather. I can never remember down here in Florida having a fall practice where we were not disturbed by rain or lightning. We did not miss a dadgum practice. That is amazing.

"We've done everything we can do. We've had time to do it. I'd hate to have to wait another day before we play that ballgame."

The Seminoles will have to wait until shortly after 8 p.m. Monday for the opening kickoff to Bowden's 34th season at Florida State.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Bobby Bowden has a feel that his Florida State football team is back on the right path. He thinks the same thing of rival Miami.

Consequently, Monday night's opener between the Seminoles and Hurricanes will serve as a gauge for many who are trying to determine which program is closer to returning to the days when the two schools dominated the decade of the 1980s and 90s.

"We're both probably pretty close," Bowden said, following Friday's practice. "Both of us have been through very much the same cycle. Whoever wins this game will feel like you're further along."

The Seminoles spent their next-to-last day of practice in shorts, refining the game plan in preparation for the third Labor Day meeting in five years. Bowden has seen consistent improvement in his teams' execution over the past few days, which he hopes translates inside a raucous Doak Campbell Stadium.

"The one thing about football is it's all reps," Bowden said. "You do it over, and over and over until you don't have to think hard."

Garnet and Gold balloons will be released Monday night at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Florida State fans will once again have a chance to release garnet and gold balloons into the air just as Osceola plants the spear when the Seminoles take on Miami in football on Labor Day night.

FSU cheerleaders will pass out balloons in FSU colors courtesy of "The Road To Tampa Bay" promotion of the ACC football championship game to be played in Tampa this year. The balloons are biodegradable and have been approved by the Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife Management.

Florida State fans released thousands of balloons at the start of Seminole home games for years before concerns over environmental problems caused by the strings stopped the practice in the late 1980s. The balloons provided on Monday degrade more quickly than an oak leaf and will not have any strings attached.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - As Florida State's Labor Day clash with rival Miami draws nearer, the Seminoles are narrowing their focus in preparation.

Detailed situational work against the scout team, which mimmicks the Hurricanes, was the primary focus throughout Thursday's 22-period practice session. With the Seminoles dressed out in shells - shoulder pads and helmets - it's clear that execution is of greater importance than physical pounding.

"We'll cut (the contact) down," said offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher. "We've got to get alignments, execution and assignments; little details. Then we've got to get them hungry and ready to hit on Monday."

With Fisher and defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews hammering away at the importance of execution over the past 10 days or so, the Seminoles seem to be responding positively.

"We're getting a lot better than that," Fisher said of the offense. "When you start to work on a situation ... they're getting a lot better.

"The closer it gets, they start to hone in and focus."

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida State practiced in shorts Wednesday, but it would hardly be described as a walk in the park.

The 18th-ranked Seminoles earned a bit of reprieve from the physical pounding, but that did not lessen the intensity. Monday's season-opener against Miami is fast-approaching, and improving execution - on both sides of the football - is critical to the Seminoles' success.

"It was a pretty good practice," Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said at the conclusion of the 2 1/2-hour workout.

It is obviously a pretty big game, even if it doesn't carry the same weight as those legendary Sunshine State clashes of the 1980s and '90s. For the third consecutive season, the Hurricanes enter the game unranked.

"It might not have the interest nationally that it did back in the power days, but to the kids it's just as important," Bowden said. "You're playing a state rival. Many of the kids played against each other in high school - they know each other - so for the kids playing against each other it will be big."

You can tell that the game remains equally important to both the players and coaches.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida State isn't winding down its preparation for the Labor Day night clash with rival Miami inside Doak Campbell Stadium. If anything, the 18th-ranked Seminoles are ratcheting up the intensity with the anticipated season-opener less than a week away.

"Anytime you go into a season it's always exciting because you've been practicing against each other all spring and fall," FSU coach Bobby Bowden said after Tuesday's 23-period practice. "You just want to see what you've got."

Tuesday's feisty practice atmosphere was indicative of a team that is anxious to finally hit someone else. The challenge for the coaching staff at this point is to get the players to focus and practice with intensity and efficiency.

"We're doing better on our assignments, but we're still busting some," said Bowden, who had not been happy with the team's overall execution the past week. "I hope we get it straightened out."

The Seminoles closed the 2 1/2-hour practice session with 10 minutes of 11-on-11 scrimmaging in the red zone, which produced a handful of productive plays, then finished with the goal line drill.

Christian Ponder will start at Quarterback for the second straight season.

FSU Offense