E.J. Manuel threw a pair of touchdowns and Florida State’s defense dominated throughout in route to a 34-0 victory over visiting North Carolina State on Saturday.

The Seminoles, who were the preseason pick to win the ACC, recorded their third-straight victory and ended the Wolfpack's two-game winning streak.

Florida State (5-3, 3-2 ACC) is playing its best football of the season, but is still a long shot to play for the ACC Championship and a chance at its first BCS appearance since 2005.

Florida State eliminated any suspense early, as the nation’s 12th-ranked defense limited North Carolina State (4-4, 1-3 ACC) to just 106 yards of offense in the first half, while Manuel and the offense built a 24-0 lead.

Devonta Freeman and fullback Lonnie Pryor each had a rushing touchdown for the Seminoles and Manuel closed the half with a perfectly executed two-minute drill, culminating in a 20-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Shaw.

It was an impressive effort from Jimbo Fisher’s team, which registered a rare blowout in a series that had been full of nail-bitters. The teams had split the previous 10 meetings with eight of the games decided by 10 points or less - including the Wolfpack's 28-24 victory in Raleigh last season.

Mike Glennon threw two interceptions for North Carolina State, which must win three of its final four games to become bowl eligible.