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RALEIGH, N.C. -- All those lofty preseason goals -- making the College Football Playoff, winning the Atlantic Coast Conference championship -- are gone for No. 22 Florida State.Still, coach Jimbo Fisher sees a young group determined to finish strong.Deondre Francois threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Travis Rudolph with 3:09 left to help the Seminoles rally to beat North Carolina State 24-20 on Saturday night despite trailing most of the night.Francois threw for 330 yards while Dalvin Cook ran for a touchdown on an otherwise quiet night for the Seminoles (6-3, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 19 AP), who never led until the final minutes. But they followed their go-ahead with a final stop to secure the win in a stadium where they had lost three of the last five visits.They still believe in each other, believe in what were doing and they believe in this program, Fisher said. And they want to be a part of history and what this program has meant in the past. And I think that carries them today. Theres a lot of pride in this group.The season hasnt gone as expected for FSU, which was ranked No. 4 in the preseason Top 25 but lost in a rout at Louisville, at home to North Carolina on a last-play field goal and then last week in a tight contest against Clemson.Yet Cook said the team was focused on the way you finish as it secured bowl eligibility.This team right here, man, they just accept everything that comes with it, Cook said, adding: Thats why this team right here is going to be a group to remember.While Florida State secured bowl eligibility, the Wolfpack (4-5, 1-4) only continued what has turned into a three-game tailspin since losing at Clemson.N.C. State led 20-10 late in the third but didnt do enough to finish off the Seminoles when there were chances, most notably when Shawn Boone dropped a sure interception in the end zone one play before Rudolphs winning score. The Wolfpack had one last drive, but Ryan Finley overthrew Nyheim Hines on fourth down after the Wolfpack had driven near the red zone with about 2 minutes left.Weve lost a lot of heartbreakers, Hines said. Every week it seems were in a game and we just keep finding ways to lose instead of winning.THE TAKEAWAYFlorida State: The Seminoles had fallen out of contention in the Atlantic Division with last weeks loss, but they showed theyre going to keep fighting in a game where little more than becoming bowl eligible was on the line.N.C. State: Its hard to figure where the Wolfpack goes from here. N.C. State has been unable to find its footing ever since the Clemson loss that started a four-game skid to put its bowl hopes in jeopardy. That frustration was evident when coach Dave Doeren ended his postgame news conference by crumpling up a piece of paper and slamming it into a trash can on the way out.For whatever reason, he said, were not finding the one play that it takes to break a game open like that.POLL IMPLICATIONSFlorida State was flirting with being at risk of falling out of the AP Top 25 . A loss couldve snapped a 79-week run in the poll, second-longest in the country, for a program that hasnt gone into a game unranked since 2011.THE WINNING SCOREFrancois was under pressure when he lofted a ball on the left side to Rudolph, who got a step on a stumbling Boone and made the TD catch.Thats a play we always practice, everyone knew what they were doing, Francois said.BIG NIGHTSHines had a career-best 11 catches for 124 yards for the Wolfpack, while Matt Dayes ran for 104 yards.UP NEXTFlorida State: The Seminoles get a Friday home game against Boston College and look to improve to 7-0 against the Eagles under Fisher.N.C. State: The Wolfpack must win two of the final three games to become bowl eligible, starting with next weeks trip to Syracuse. Cheap Nike Air Max 95 China .com) - Following a late-game loss to the reigning NBA champs, the Toronto Raptors will look to sustain their recent high-level play as they travel to Indiana to take on the Pacers. Air Max 95 Sale Cheap . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. http://www.wholesale95airmax.com/air-max-95-womens-cheap/max-95-black.html . World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won the gold medal with 237.71 points, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch followed at 208.45 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia were third at 187. Air Max 97 Womens Cheap . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. Wholesale Air Max 97 Womens .C. -- Calgarys Kevin Koe did it the hard way again. DETROIT -- The Detroit Lions will lean on Matthew Stafford a lot this season, maybe more than ever.The veteran quarterback looks and sounds ready for the challenge.Ive just been through a lot, acknowledged Stafford, entering his eighth season. Been through some really good times. Been through some bad times. Seen a lot of defenses.Detroit depended on Staffords right arm quite a bit in the past, too, but he always had a relatively large margin of error when he threw short, long or over to middle to Calvin Johnson.The spectacular receiver known as Megatron for his superhuman-like skills left the Lions and retired from the league during the offseason after years of making Staffords job easier.Staffords passes, of which there will be many, will have to be more accurate.He cant afford to throw too high or late and get away with it, as he could with the 6-foot-5 Johnson.Stafford probably will not be able to count on a running game to create shorter down-and-distance situations, or to get a tough yard or so on third or fourth down. Detroit ranked last in the league in rushing last season and may struggle to show signs of improvement in the important facet of the game.Stafford, the No. 1 overall pick in 2009, will have to sling it early and often in a pass-heavy offense that will frequently be in hurry-up mode. He has a solid trio of receivers, a talented tight end and one of the NFLs best pass-catching running backs.Jim Bob Cooter, entering his first full season as offensive coordinator, has relinquished quite a bit of control to Stafford. The Lions will likely use a no-huddle offense, and Stafford will have plenty of opportunities to call plays at the line.Its not about what plays I like the best. Its about what plays the players feel the best about, Cooter said. Ive learned early in my time that if the quarterback really likes a play, he tends to make it work and the same thing works at different positions.If a receiver really likes a route, that guy tends to get open on that route.Golden Tate, who made 189 receptions the previous two years in Detroit, will be Staffords top target.Marvin Jones was signed just after Johnsons retirement and Anquan Boldin was added just before training camp, giving Stafford a pair of veteran receivers he can count on.Tight end Eric Ebron, who missed the preseason with a lower right leg injury, has the potentiaal to be a breakout player in his third NFL season.ddddddddddddTheo Riddick, rarely tackled by the first defender with a shot at him, is coming off an 80-catch season in which he shared the league lead with Danny Woodhead for receptions by a running back.THE NEW BOSS: The Lions made big changes during their 1-7 start last season, firing general manager Martin Mayhew, team president Tom Lewand and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi. Team owner Martha Firestone Ford was behind the bold moves. She hired Bob Quinn to run football operations as GM, hoping he can bring some of what he learned with the New England Patriots. He was New Englands director of pro scouting for four seasons after serving as assistant director of pro personnel for two years in a 16-year career with the franchise. Quinn has made some tangible changes, including adding a curtain between the locker room and training facilities at team headquarters to keep reporters from seeing who is going in and out of that area.CALDWELLS CHANCE: Quinn had the freedom to fire coach Jim Caldwell, but chose to give him a shot to lead the team for a third season after he helped them win six of the last eight games last year. If Caldwell cant improve upon last years record, getting to at least 8-8, it is difficult to imagine he will be back for a fourth year with the Lions.WEAK LINK: Detroit didnt run the ball well last season and failed to protect Stafford. The Lions made an investment to improve their offensive line, drafting Taylor Decker out of Ohio State with the 16th pick overall. Decker is expected to start at left tackle, shifting Riley Reiff to right tackle.D STANDOUTS: The Lions have potential stars in each position group on defense: Ezekiel Ansah at defensive end, cornerback Darius Slay and linebacker DeAndre Levy, who missed most of last year with a hip injury.EARLY AND LATE: Detroit plays three of its first four games on the road, starting with Week 1 at Indianapolis. The Lions will also play three of their last five on the road, including a prime-time matchup Dec. 26 at Dallas.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Larry Lage at www.twitter.com/larrylage and follow his work at www.bigstory.ap.org/content/larry-lage ' ' '