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Like Wendy's, Keon Coleman, Kalen DeLoach offer '4 for 4' for FSU football against Clemson
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- Like Wendy's, Keon Coleman, Kalen DeLoach offer '4 for 4' for FSU football against Clemson
CLEMSON, S.C.- Wendy's may have raised its price on the "4 for 4" on their menu. But Florida State football is continuing to serve it on its menu.
In fact, the "4 for 4" was the featured recipe in the No. 3 Seminoles 31-24 victory over No. 23 Clemson here Saturday. Both players who don jersey No. 4 for FSU - wide receiver Keon Coleman and linebacker Kalen DeLoach - provided big plays in the overtime victory.
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DeLoach was first up when he recorded a sack while forcing a fumble of Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik . He scooped the fumble and returned it for a touchdown to tie the game at 24 at the end of the third quarter.
"Me and my dog, we call each other '4 for 4,'" Coleman said postgame of he and DeLoach wearing the same number. "Wendy's upped their prices, but it's still '4 for 4' in our eyes.
"He came back to the sideline and told us, 'Now it's your time to do your thing.' I told him, 'I'll do what I have to do.'"
Neither team could find a score in the fourth quarter, forcing the game to overtime. The Seminoles lost the toss and were on offense first.
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On the second play, Coleman went up for a jump ball, coming down over the Tigers' defensive back for the game-winning touchdown from quarterback Jordan Travis.
"When Keon caught that, I saw the ball in the air, I had seen that dude before," DeLoach said. "I had seen him do it before at practice and I've seen him do it in games. I believed in that moment. When he caught that ball, I said, 'Now we have to go do what we have to do."
The Seminoles' defense did step up again. Forcing Clemson into a turnover on downs to clinch the victory.
'Disrespected': FSU football quarterback Jordan Travis felt 'disrespected all game' in overtime win over Clemson
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Keon Coleman 's game-winning touchdown
Florida State University receiver Keon Coleman (4) scores in overtime near Clemson cornerback Jeadyn Lukus (10) Sep 23, 2023; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; at Memorial Stadium.
Coleman finished with five receptions for 86 yards and two scores. He could have had a bigger game, but there were often times he and Travis were not on the same page or the Tigers' defense made a big play.
But Coleman had the faith of his coaches, as he has been a reliable playmaker since arriving in Tallahassee as a transfer from Michigan State.
"Really just great play calling from [Head] Coach [Mike] Norvell and [Offensive coordinator Alex] Atkins, " Coleman said. "They tried to get me the ball. They were trying to get the ball to me at the end of regulation, but we didn't get the flag we should have got.
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"They said they were coming back to me and let me do what I do best. J-Trav threw it and it was the game."
Kalen DeLoach sack and scoop-and-score
Florida State University linebacker Kalen DeLoach (4) hits Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) knocking the ball loose and picking up the fumble to run it in for a touchdown during the third quarter Sep 23, 2023; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; at Memorial Stadium.
DeLoach stepped up to make a play when FSU needed it the most. With Clemson leading 24-17 and running back Phil Mafah broke out for a 46-yard run to the FSU 29 to position itself to push its lead to two scores.
He broke loose, hit Klubnik and forced the fumble.
"I felt like a play needed to be made," DeLoach said. "We were down 17-24 at the moment, we were going to go out there and play our defense and play fast. We knew we needed a stop. We had to go out there and make a play."
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DeLoach was not the first to the ball. That was defensive tackle Braden Fiske.
But instead of attempting to scoop the ball and make a run himself, the 6-foot-5, 297-pound tackle saw his teammate and allowed DeLoach to take the ball.
"To be honest, when it came out, I didn't know it was out," DeLoach said. "Then I saw Fiske trying to scoop it up. He gave me a little tip pass and from there I was like I have to get in the end zone.
For Coleman on the sideline, he wasn't shocked by the turnover. Rather, he was more shocked by how the turnover happened and what it led to.
"You ain't got no evidence, but I called it," Coleman said of DeLoach's fumble recovery. "I thought we were going to get a pick, I didn't think we were going to get a sack, fumble. I knew we were going to get a turnover because they felt the vibe we needed a little boost because things weren't clicking."
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Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football: Keon Coleman, Kalen DeLoach make plays vs. Clemson
