Noles Focusing On Showdown With Wolfpack

FSU Sports Information Excerpts:

Even though it is just Monday, the Seminole football team just completed its second-to-last practice of the week. Florida State (4-1, 1-1) will take the practice fields just one more time on Tuesday before departing for Raleigh, NC Wednesday afternoon. The Seminoles are 5-4 overall on Thursday night and three of those nine games have come versus NC State (2-4, 0-2). The Wolfpack won the last Thursday night meeting between the teams in Carter-Finley Stadium in 2006.

Head Coach Bobby Bowden:

On preparation for the NC State game:

“It’s been good. Our kids, our coaches have worked them pretty doggone hard and they’ve responded pretty good so I’ve been pleased with that. Today’s like a Wednesday and tomorrow will be like a Thursday. They’ve responded pretty good.”

On what Christian Ponder needs to do to go up to the next step:

“Have an excellent passing day. That’ll probably be the next step, having an excellent passing day. I see it out here at practice but we’re running the ball so good we don’t throw as much so you don’t get whipped in those statistics that much.”

DE Everette Brown:

On returning to his home state of North Carolina on Thursday night:

“I’m excited about it. When we run out of the tunnel I am going to be in my Florida State gear. I am going to have a lot of family and friends at the game from the state of North Carolina, but I know that they are going to give me their full support, just like they always have done. This is a little different than high school, where I had family watching me play in front of a couple thousand fans. This is going to be in front of a hostile environment on a national stage, so it is exciting to get the chance to play in my home state in a big college football game.”