Florida State coach Bobby Bowden could imagine how quarterback Christian Ponder felt a day after absorbing a helmet to the back and bruising his ribs.

“Usually, the next day it hurts the worst,’’ he said Sunday morning following the Seminoles’ 45-42 win against North Carolina State.

But Bowden didn’t sound overly concerned that his star would be overly affected as he and the team prepares for this weekend’s game against the resurgent Clemson Tigers. Ponder took the hit late in the opening quarter and played the whole game, something that wasn’t a foregone conclusion at halftime.

Unless, of course, you asked Ponder.

“I didn’t want to come out and that thought didn’t come into my mind,’’ he said afterward.

ACC guidelines don’t require a school to update an injury report (except for season-ending issues or surgeries) on Sunday, but Ponder does meet the media every Monday afternoon.