RALEIGH, N.C. - With Daniel Evans under center, North Carolina State just keeps finding ways to rally from second-half deficits against ranked opponents. Evans threw three touchdown passes — including the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter — to lead the Wolfpack to a 24-20 victory over No. 17 Florida State on Thursday night, capping a rally from 10 points down in the third quarter to stay unbeaten in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

North Carolina State's quarterback Daniel Evans throws downfield against Florida State during the second half of their college football game Thursday, Oct. 5, 2006, in Raleigh, N.C. Evans had three touchdowns and 190 yards as N.C. State won, 24-20. (AP Photo/Stan Gilliland)

Evans connected with John Dunlap on a 12-yard score with 10:36 left for the Wolfpack (3-2, 2-0 ACC), part of another poised performance from the redshirt sophomore quarterback in his second career start. And even coach Chuck Amato had to admit that the Wolfpack seems like a new team under Evans.

"It does at times, doesn't it?" Amato said. "The guy who gets the ball snapped to him on every play is so very, very important as we all know."

It would have been hard to imagine the Wolfpack could manage this type of win only a few weeks ago. N.C. State was 1-2 after a last-play home loss to Akron and a humbling 37-17 loss at Southern Mississippi, which prompted Amato to elevate Evans past Marcus Stone.

Now, with wins against Boston College and Florida State, the once-dark mood around Carter-Finley Stadium has been replaced by jubilant rowdy crowds and players spilling out onto the field to celebrate as the clock expires.

"We're right where we want to be," Evans said. "We're excited. We're not going to get complacent on where we are."

Andre Brown added 113 yards rushing, marking the second straight year Brown cracked the 100-yard mark against the Seminoles (3-2, 1-2).

Brown ran for 179 yards last year in a 20-15 road win, marking the Wolfpack's third win in six tries against the Seminoles under Amato — an 18-year assistant at Florida State to Bobby Bowden before taking over here in 2000. In fact, the Wolfpack came in as the only ACC team with four wins against Florida State since the Seminoles joined the league 14 years ago.

Now N.C. State has another big win to celebrate against Amato's former boss.

Evans completed 13 of 22 passes for 190 yards. And his scoring pass to Dunlap was eerily similar to the TD toss he threw to Dunlap with 8.5 seconds left in a 17-15 win against then-No. 20 Boston College two weeks ago.

With the Wolfpack facing a second down, Evans lobbed a perfectly thrown pass toward the back right corner of the end zone. Dunlap jumped over defender Patrick Robinson and came down with the football and a 24-20 lead.

"We're going to call it 'Dunlap's Corner,'" Amato said.

The lead ultimately held up, but not by much. The Seminoles put together one last drive that started at their own 5 with 5:39 left, but the drive stalled at N.C. State's 39 when DaJuan Morgan intercepted Drew Weatherford's pass with about 2 1/2 minutes left. The Seminoles had burned their last timeout early in the fourth, allowing Evans and the Wolfpack to kill the clock to end it.

Now the Seminoles find themselves slipping further down the ACC's Atlantic Division standings, creating a difficult road for them to return to the league championship game.

"We've got to win out," said Brandon Warren, who had a 12-yard touchdown catch for a 20-10 lead late in the third quarter. "We've just got to get it together and get our team chemistry back together, and get moving."