TALLAHASSEE -- Mickey Andrews needed a moment.

The veteran defensive coordinator, who rarely displays his softer side in public, halted his conversation with reporters late Saturday afternoon and marched over to have a word with Florida State's bruised and battered quarterback, Christian Ponder.

``I'd hug your neck, but I don't want to embarrass you,'' Andrews whispered.

Andrews might as well have been speaking for Florida State's entire roster. Playing with bruised ribs after taking a helmet to the back in the first quarter, Ponder led the Seminoles to a season's-best offensive production and a thrilling 45-42 victory against N.C. State.

Limping in and out of the huddle for most of the game, Ponder guided FSU to 555 yards of offense and spearheaded a game-winning touchdown drive that culminated in Bert Reed's 3-yard touchdown run with 1:36 remaining.

``[Ponder] took a couple of shots there early in the game that would have put a normal guy out,'' said FSU coach Bobby Bowden, whose team improved to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. ``But he stayed in there with it. I'm sure he'll be sore tonight.''

TOUGH FINISH

After three consecutive 300-yard games, Ponder's statistics were slightly off from his season averages. He completed 26 of 40 passes for 277 yards and only delivered one touchdown pass. His string of passes without an interception also ended at 254 - N.C. State (3-5, 0-4) picked off a pair of passes Saturday.

But according to his teammates, Ponder was sensational in an area that cannot be quantified.

``Right now, Christian Ponder might be one of my biggest heroes ever,'' junior cornerback Ochuko Jenije said. ``That man is banged-up bad. He reminds me of those old NFL quarterbacks - they've got cracked ribs, they've got a torn shoulder, and they still light up the field. Hats go off to that man. He's unbelievable."

Said Reed: ``He's not going to tell you that he's hurt. But you can see it in his eyes when he's throwing the ball. And that just makes you want to play so much harder for him.'' Ponder, who still had protective gear around his ribs in the postgame interview room, said he was iced down and received other treatment during halftime. And FSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher sent redshirt freshman E.J. Manuel out to get loose before the start of the second half.

But Ponder played the duration and passed for more yards in the second half (141) than the first (136). On FSU's game-winning drive, he completed three consecutive passes to drive the Seminoles from their 34-yard line to N.C. State's 20.

``I stopped thinking about [the injury], and the adrenaline kicked in a little bit,'' Ponder said. ``I started playing better, and it started loosening up.''

The longer Ponder played, Fisher said, he could sense the other offensive players raising their games. Sophomore tailback Jermaine Thomas rushed for a career-high 186 yards on 20 carries. And the Seminoles didn't allow a sack.

FOLLOW THE LEADER

``They're learning to take his personality and fight and claw and scratch,'' Fisher said. ``I don't have enough words -- I really don't. I don't have the words to describe the kid. I'm blessed to be able to coach him.''

Though he was disappointed that his defense allowed N.C. State to rack up 538 yards of offense and 42 points, Andrews took some consolation in his unit's game-clinching interception on the Wolfpack's final Hail Mary attempt. It helped the Seminoles get back to .500 for the first time in weeks, and it preserved the win for Ponder.

``What a warrior,'' Andrews said. ``You don't want anybody to be hurt. But you'd like sometimes for each one of those guys to experience the kind of pain he was in, and have enough fortitude and want-to and desire to see it through. If we could get everybody playing with that kind of determination, we might end up being a pretty good team before it's over with.''

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