‘Noles Kick Heels Fsu Improves To 46-1 In Acc By Holding Unc To 73 Yards

In their own cruel, confident and convincing way, the Florida State Seminoles beat down another up-and-comer Saturday night.

No. 5 North Carolina had hoped to use this showdown with the Seminoles (9-0, 7-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) as a platform to prove it had moved into the nation’s elite, but Florida State’s 20-3 victory showed the Tar Heels (8-1, 5-1) have some way to go.

“You gotta get kicked around a little bit in championship games, then you finally learn how to play,” Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said of the Tar Heels. “That’s what I had to find out. We’ve got that advantage over them.”

It was Florida State’s defense that doomed the Tar Heels, sacking Oscar Davenport seven times before knocking him out in the third quarter with a fractured right ankle. Replacement Chris Keldorf went down twice as the nation’s sack leader tied a school record with nine.

North Carolina’s 73 total yards were its lowest since getting 56 in a Nov. 4, 1950, loss at Tennessee.

Thad Busby threw two first-half touchdown passes as the Seminoles grabbed a 17-0 intermission lead on the way to improving their ACC record to 46-1, clinching at least a tie for their sixth league crown in as many years.

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