Florida State 27, Miami 20
Q. Kalen and Jordan, what does it mean to win three in a row? And Keon, what was your first experience like in this rivalry game?
KALEN DeLOACH: I'm going to say for me, it was just going to mean a lot to me, go out in my last year with 3-0, go against these guys with the guys I got on the field definitely going to mean a lot to me, because these guys I work with every day, ride or die. I'm with these guys every day, so definitely going to mean a lot to me.
JORDAN TRAVIS: Yeah, I love winning football games at the end of the day. That's the goal every week. Obviously going against Miami it's a little bit different. Feeling is a little bit different. Emotions are a little bit different.
Yeah, like Kalen said, it's my last year, too, so I mean, I love -- I'm so happy I'm going out with a win against them boys. I'm not a fan of them at all. Yeah, very thankful.
KEON COLEMAN: I'm happy for them. Coming in here I didn't really know much about the rivalry. I just knew it was two dominant programs in the country, so just coming out, being able to get a win and go 1-0 -- well, 2-0. We played them when I was State, and I ain't lose either.
But getting a win with those guys, sending them out on their last year was is a special moment for them. When it's special for them it's special for me.
Q. Jordan, did one of their players rip your chain?
JORDAN TRAVIS: Yes, ma'am.
Q. We saw that a little on TV. Can you take us through what happened there?
JORDAN TRAVIS: I don't know. He was talking a lot the whole game. Yeah, snapped my chain and I had a couple words for him. That's it. I got it back though.
Q. (Indiscernible.)
JORDAN TRAVIS: No, not at all.
Q. Kalen, the defense gave up 96 rush yards in the first half; second half only 35. What went behind the adjustment to defense made in the second half to step up and prevent that?
KALEN DeLOACH: You know, at halftime you got to make adjustments to what they do, so going to halftime knowing what they were giving us in the run game, knowing we had adjust certain fits. You know, just change things and then go out there -- at the end of the day, go out there and play football.
You know, at the end of the day our job is to stop the run, as a defense stop the pass. Once we made those adjustments, like you say, it's hard to get them yards.
Q. Jordan, we've seen games this season where the team has been piling on the points; the offense clicking from the jump. Then we've seen games like tonight where a little bit of a slower start and you're able to battle for the win in the end. Ultimately the experience of playing in these different type of games and able to win different styles of games, how valuable will that be for what this group wants to accomplish down the line?
JORDAN TRAVIS: Yeah, I feel like every game -- I was thinking about it I think it was yesterday. I feel like every game you learn a new like life experience, something that's going to help you later on in life. Things are not always going to go your way at the end of the day. I mean, especially in a game like that, two teams that dislike each other a lot. Always going to be a lot of emotion. We had to learn how to handle that type of stuff.
I just feel like it shows the maturity of this team on how we grow every single week. You know, obviously being down and coming back again, felt kind of like the LSU game. We just got to keep our foot on the gas. There were so many mistakes today we need to correct as an offense especially.
Once we get that right, this team will be rolling for sure.
Q. Questions for both Jordan and Keon. On the touchdown pass, I know it's like a fade pattern into the end zone, but what goes into that play, the precision? Easy for me to say. And then the energy afterwards, momentum of that play?
JORDAN TRAVIS: Well when you have a guy like this it makes your job easy playing quarterback. You put ball up anywhere he's going to go make a play. Just got to give him the chance.
Yeah, offensive line gave me time. Yeah, when you have a guy like this makes your job easy. Thankful for him for sure.
Q. Jordan, was there any trash talk when you were taking a knee?
JORDAN TRAVIS: Yeah, there was. I just wanted to take a knee and get it over with and go celebrate. Yeah, there was a lot.
Q. Kalen, question for you. I don't know how steeped you are in this rivalry's history, but been a lot of very good Florida State teams that have lost heartbreaking games to that program. How do you guys avoid that heartbreak when they got the ball back with a minute and a half left and they were driving on you? How did you guys finish off the game?
KALEN DeLOACH: The defense, we was on the sideline. We knew we were going to have to go out there and finish the game. We needed a stop. You know, just thankful that our defense got the opportunity to go out there and showcase what we're capable of.
We build for those moments. We enjoy those moments. I feel like we made the most of those moments. Like he said, we'll continue to grow, learn, and take advantage of it.
Q. Keon, talk about the punt return. Looked like you muffed one in the second half, and then the massive punt return to set up the touchdown later in the game.
KEON COLEMAN: Really just my team needed me to make a play, and I feel like I can do that once the ball get in my hands. I made a clean catch on it and just did what I do best. My blockers, they was blocking. I ain't lying to you. They was blocking. I just found a crease and kept running. Probably should have scored, but I didn't see the punts.
It is what it is.
And the muffed one, just being more disciplined. I thought I seen one of our guys close enough so I tried to back away from it, but that was a stupid decision. Got to be more disciplined in that and avoid that heartache. That could have been devastating.
Q. For Jordan, you mentioned throughout the week how much you don't like Miami. You know, growing up in South Florida as well, you mentioned winning, too at the same time. How deep does that rivalry go for you, someone who has played Florida State, been a fan of it, against a team you grew up in the area? How deep does this go for you?
JORDAN TRAVIS: Yeah, I mean, it's really big for me. It's big for my family. Going to my brother's baseball games when I was ten years old Florida State versus Miami just hearing the fans and what they said to my brother always stuck with me.
The fans, I don't know, the fans are not too kind, but, man, at the end of the day I'm thankful to be a Florida State Seminole, to go out and represent this university, go out with my teammates and compete week in and week out and just get better, have an opportunity to get better.
Miami came out to play today 100%. Those teams find a way to win. Fans came out and supported us today and that helped a lot, too. Yeah, what I said already. I'm not a fan of Miami at all, and I'll say that for the rest of my life.
Q. Keon, when we first spoke to you you were so confident about coming to Florida State and everything was going to work out despite the fact there was so many play makers already here. How much is that confidence in Mike Norvell, the confidence, in yourself, and the quarterback sitting next to you?
KEON COLEMAN: Simple as that. So many play makers you don't have to overdo your job. Just go out there be disciplined, disciplined route runner. Block and chase the ball. Sometimes you get caught because we have some good running backs. I got caught a lot, you know what I'm saying?
So that is the biggest adjustment, continue to play because at any moment it can break. I wasn't worried about anything. I knew coming here putting my trust and Coach Norvell we was all going to do what we supposed to do and win the game and get to that next level. I just be a around a lot of guys that was in that same position as me, and, you know, go out there with a lot of the lose. A lot of people going to say each week they got a lot of players. How they going to do this, how they going to do that. So just going out there every week and answering that question, that's the challenge, and I love a challenge.
Q. For any of you, being the Top 5 team you're probably going to get team's best shots about every week. I feel like a lot of the last few weeks there have been moments that could have gone south had the other team had a chance or took advantage or took a lead and was in position to maybe take control. What do you think it is about this team that you're at your best in the toughest, most adverse moments?
KEON COLEMAN: I'm going to go first. Like you said, we got a lot play makers and we put a lot of trust in our coaches and our coaches trust what we do and out ability, so, you know, like he said, the key word was had. They had. Ain't going to keep it for long. We coming back for that.
Q. Two questions real quick. Jordan, did they explain to you how that wasn't targeting?
JORDAN TRAVIS: No, they did not.
Q. Okay. And then you two guys, Kalen and Keon, talk about Jordan. You guys probably don't realize this, he is the first FSU starting quarterback to go 3-0 against Miami in the history of the school. Talk about him and what he gives you guys.
KEON COLEMAN: Great, simple.
KALEN DeLOACH: He's a dog. You see what he go through and the things he do throughout the week and come out there and play on Saturdays, it means a lot to him and a lot to me.
Like you said, 3-0. Just to stick with this guy through my whole process, I'm going to go battle with him any day, any day.
KEON COLEMAN: Yeah, again, numbers don't lie. This dude has a lot of heart. You think some quarterbacks are soft. That's not him. He's going to go out there every day and compete. He's going to go out there and show he's resilient and bounce back from whatever loss he took.
For him it's not a loss, it's a lesson, and he learns the lesson pretty quick, so...
JORDAN TRAVIS: Thank you guys.
Q. Kalen, as one of the guys that has seen the rebuild of this program, what have these past two weeks been like in just seeing qualifying for the ACC Championship game and now getting third straight win over Miami. From where this program started out when you came here to now, what has it been like taking in all these two weeks?
KALEN DeLOACH: I'm just taking it in year by year, just learn a lesson each year and try to apply it to the next year. Like I say, going through my five years, it's been a struggle, but you know, we got to a standpoint where we got to turn this thing around. We brought in a good group of guys. They came with a great mindset and they're just willing to work. They bought into the program and they just continue to work.
And at some point things are going to go our way and I'm grateful for it to happen now.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports