TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida State's Buster Davis picked a great time for his first career interception.

A leaping grab by the 5-foot-10 linebacker set up a 4-yard touchdown run by Joe Surratt with 1:56 left as the ninth-ranked Seminoles rallied late to escape with a 24-17 victory Saturday over Troy.

The Seminoles (2-0) scored two touchdowns in the final 6:12 to avoid what might have been the most embarrassing home loss in coach Bobby Bowden's 31 years coaching at the school.

"I didn't begin to panic until ... the fourth quarter," Bowden said. "It was like having a nightmare. Like having a bad dream."

But Davis got his coach, and teammate Chris Davis, off the hook when he intercepted Omar Haugabook's third-down pass at the Troy 29 moments after Florida State had tied it at 17.

"We knew we had to get the ball back," the 240-pound Buster Davis said. "We got a great pass rush and I think he hurried his pass and I was able to make a big play."

Haugabook completed 28 of 46 passes for 219 yards, but was intercepted three times, the last time with only seconds left when linebacker Geno Hayes also came up with his first career pick.

"We couldn't close the deal," veteran Troy coach Larry Blakeney said. "But we were very close."

Bowden thought his team might have been outplayed by the Trojans of the Sun Belt Conference, just five days after an emotional come-from-behind 13-10 win at archrival Miami.

"I couldn't believe what they were able to do with us," Bowden said about Troy.

"They deserved to win it as much as we did. They might have deserved it more than we did, but it didn't happen."

Drew Weatherford threw a 5-yard tying TD pass to Chris Davis, whose muffed punt minutes earlier led to Troy grabbing the lead, with 6:12 left.

"I knew I couldn't drop that one," Davis said. "I had to catch that one."

Weatherford, who passed for 336 yards, also connected on a 17-yard scoring pass with Greg Carr that gave the Seminoles a 7-3 lead early in the second half.

After managing just 1 yard rushing against Miami in their season-opening victory, the Seminoles again were stalled on the ground. Florida State gained 45 yards on 28 carries, nearly all coming in the fourth quarter.

"We weren't prepared or ready to play," said Weatherford, who completed 30-of-43 and was intercepted once.

Freshman Antone Smith led Florida State with 25 yards rushing on a half dozen carries and Lorenzo Booker added 18, also on six tries.

Davis' muff with 12:54 left was recovered by Elbert Mack at Florida State's 31 and Haugabook scored on a 1-yard run to give Troy a 17-10 lead a minute and a half later.

"We didn't want any moral victories," Haugabook said. "A lot of people didn't think we'd be this close."

Buster Davis, however, wasn't surprised the Seminoles struggled.

"Playing Miami on Monday and then turning around," he said. "I don't care who you would have played on Saturday it was going to be a tough victory."

Gary Cismesia, who had earlier missed from 39 yards, tied the game at 10-10 with a 44-yard field goal with 4:04 left in the third quarter.

The Seminoles scored on their first drive of the second half on Carr's leaping catch in the end zone.

But Troy (1-1), which was 4-7 last season, answered with an 80-yard scoring drive culminated by Haugabook's 3-yard touchdown strike to Toris Rutledge.

Troy had its chances to put more points on the board.

Despite moving inside Florida State's 20 on three occasions in the first half, the Trojans managed just one field goal -- a 39-yard kick by Whibbs with 4:41 left in the second quarter that stood for a 3-0 halftime lead.

Troy made it to Florida State's 3 on the game's opening drive, but Roger Williams intercepted Haugabook's pass in the end zone after it was first tipped by cornerback Tony Carter.

The Trojans had a second scoring opportunity moments later in the first quarter, but Whibbs 31-yard field goal try was blocked by Florida State's Everette Brown.