Florida State 41, Syracuse 3
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. Was it a coincidence you had the P-Dub shirt on? Had you been familiar with him before you got here?
KEON COLEMAN: Growing up, I didn't know he went to Florida State. I thought he went to Boston College. I know he had burgundy. Before coming here, I definitely knew who he was. Last week, I kind of let him down. He returned one at Virginia Tech in one of those big games. It was like, Show me something. I got tackled. I was trying to pay my tribute to him today.
Q. When a guy like Johnny isn't available, is it something you take upon yourself? Is it something the team talks about, needing more out of you to step up?
KEON COLEMAN: I wouldn't even say step up. We have type of games like this when we both on the field. It was just making sure I go even harder because he's not here, make the other team feel his half. Pretty much that.
Q. Looking around the NFL, when you're studying receivers, who do you study the most? What do you try to emulate from their game?
KEON COLEMAN: I think I use a plethora of guys. I think OBJ forever. That my dog. A lot of his game. Kelvin Benjamin. Julio and Randy Moss.
Q. Calvin?
KEON COLEMAN: Calvin Johnson. He can go up get the ball. He can do a lot of things. I want people to kind of feel me. We get inside the 20, put two people there.
Q. Can you walk us through the catch on the opening drive. Did you realize in that moment it's a pretty special play you just made?
KEON COLEMAN: I ain't going to lie, yeah.
Really from the look that the defense gave, I kind of knew I had a shot at really being the first read on that. Really taking what he gave me. He opened his hips early for the fly fade, I just broke across. Put a good ball out there, I just went up to get it.
Q. You had I don't know how many total yards with the punt returns and receiving. Lawrance goes for a lot. You're a versatile offense. How important is that in the game plan every week?
KEON COLEMAN: Really just a lot of one on ones. You going to either play a lot of zone or man. You're not going to be able to double in the body because we have so many different weapons at different positions.
Q. It's been 45 minutes since the game ended. How many times have you seen that catch? Have you seen it on your phone? Have you still not seen a replay on it?
KEON COLEMAN: I put my phone on DND until I get home. I have to embrace my family first.
Q. The touchdown, great route, you get open, but the protection that Jordan got, takes a hit, just how everything has to work for a play like that to happen?
KEON COLEMAN: Yeah, I mean, I think that's a special thing of football. You got 11 guys trying to achieve one goal of making sure they do they jobs so the perfect play can happen. I feel like that's a result of that.
Even though we still did it right, he still took a shot. That was the play of the game, man. He made a great throw. Caught the ball. The crowd started going crazy. A lot of fun really.
Q. How much do you like returning punts?
KEON COLEMAN: I like it. Everybody think I'm tripping, but I rather do that over kickoff return. Punt return, you really control how hard you going to get hit, if you going to get hit. If you scared, fair catch it. You know what I'm saying? If you scared to catch it, let it go.
You have full control back there. Like being a quarterback in a sense, you have full control of what's about to happen.
That one play, you really can change the momentum of a game. Especially if you back there, it's like they really have faith in you to put the ball in your hands in that position, trust your play-making ability to do what you need to do.
On top of that, I give credit to the guys blocking. I be on everybody all week. I be having fun (indiscernible). But just staying on guys, making sure they're not slipping up on every single rep. Just do what you have to do. If you end up being wrong, I'm going to try to make you right. 11 guys have to participate on this unit for us to get touchdowns.
I fell short of that for them this week. Yeah, I fell twice.
Q. How have you and Jordan Travis been trying to work chemistry?
KEON COLEMAN: Just repetition, really understanding what we both looking at. If we both looking at the same thing, thinking the same thing when it's happening, the ball is going to be there regardless.
He's great. He's going to put a good ball over there. He trusts me to go out there and make the play. Knowing where you're going, where he would like you to be, making sure you're both seeing the same things.
Q. Did you return punts the Michigan State?
KEON COLEMAN: You see what we have back there? We had one of the best returners in the country. That wasn't my job.
I did it in practice. We had a great punter, too. Returned a lot of punts in practice in the last two years. When I got here, they didn't really know I could return punts. I'm like, Let me do it. I trust myself with the ball, so let me go back there. Now we here.
Q. Did you lobby Norvell to return here then?
KEON COLEMAN: Huh-uh. I think it was a random practice in the summer. You do OTAs. Kicking it, we was just returning them. I didn't drop any. It looked good, so...
Q. You played basketball and football at Michigan State. Charlie Ward was here, part of the 1993 team. What goes through your mind for a guy to play both sports, play at a Heisman Trophy level, NBA draft pick on the other side?
KEON COLEMAN: I mean, he was special. Unheard of to be that good in both of those. It's kind of like you just get to, Hmm, I want to play basketball, I want to go play football. He get to pick whichever one.
That's very unique. That's kind of once-in-a-lifetime type thing. I don't think anyone is going to have that influence on both sides, basketball, football, ever again, to be honest with you.
Q. When the offense comes up short on a drive, sometimes Jordan gets frustrated, you guys get frustrated. When the fans and media watch it, we wonder is everything okay. What is it like during that moment? How do you handle not getting negative?
KEON COLEMAN: I mean, that's part of football. When something don't go your way, of course you going to get like that immediate reaction because it's not the instant gratification you wanted. You going to get mad and frustrated.
It's one play at a time. There's a lot of people in the stands. They all might see it from a different angle. From our perspective, we frustrated because we want to be perfect. We strive for perfection. We don't want to not score, not complete a pass. It's that instant frustration between us.
But we don't be frustrated at each other, we be frustrated at the fact that we all seeing what should have happened. We just got to get to this next play and make sure it happen then.
I don't think it's anything y'all need to worry about. We be good. Just showing emotion.
Q. You only got here over the summer so you didn't see Hykeem in the spring. How far since you got here have you seen him come? What can you say about what his ceiling can be?
KEON COLEMAN: I seen the highlights. You know what I'm saying? I had to check it out. We had a great tight end. I was like, We got some guys.
I mean, seeing him in this short amount of time, he's been very special. Don't hardly ever drop passes. Don't miss his blocks. He's a technical guy when it comes to his technique and fundamentals of being a football player.
He can also make the (indiscernible) you play, like one-hand grabs, different things like that. Being able to have him at running back, fullback, put him in the slot, even outside, give him screens, go balls, different routes, he's going to make the play. I think it's very special and unique.
Q. Seemed like early on in the game when they were playing you one on one a lot, were you surprised with the coverage Syracuse was showing?
KEON COLEMAN: I don't really think so. I mean, my coaches put me in a position where you really can't double me. If you try, like, you leaving somebody else one on one or you just leaving them open. I don't think that's very smart to do.
He just put me in the right position. Moving with different tempos and things like that where they couldn't shift coverages, they had to react what we was doing. We was just making plays really.
Q. Coach Norvell talked about in the last month Hykeem Williams has taken it to another level. What have you seen from him? You were asked about Hykeem, but I thought you were talking about Ja'Keem.
KEON COLEMAN: You were talking about Hykeem?
Q. Yes.
KEON COLEMAN: He's grown very much from when I first came in. He coming from being a high school guy. Probably treatment was a little bit different. Conditioning and stuff, he was struggling. But we pushing him every day, just continue to push him.
He has become what y'all thought he was going to be coming out of high school. Making grabs, routes, releases, everything. I've seen him run the fastest I've seen him run today. He made a move, I got up. I was like, What? I was happy for him.
But it's just great to see him finally get out there and show a little flash of what he can do. I think y'all should look forward to seeing lot more of him.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports