Posted by: Josh Kendall on December 31, 2012

D.J. Eliot has a difficult task staring him in the face starting Wednesday, helping to rebuild a Kentucky defense that has undone the Wildcats for years. He's got one more thing to do before that, though.

Eliot will coordinate Florida State's defense in Tuesday's Orange Bowl in place of Mark Stoops before heading off to be Stoops' defensive coordinator at Kentucky.

"I really wanted to finish this thing off on a high note," Eliot said. "I wanted to do everything I could for the program and the coaches and the players to make sure we finish this season with a win. I am still working for Florida State, and that's been my approach. I'm doing everything I can as a coach and a coordinator to help this team be as successful as they can."

Eliot has been doing double duty for three weeks now.

"I think I broke a record on airline miles. It's been very busy," he said. "I have had a lot of responsibilities on both ends. There hasn't been much down time at all. It's been exciting. It's also been challenging to manage two jobs, but I'm fully committed to winning this game."

Staying on the job in Tallahassee is a way of repaying Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher and the Seminoles for his big break in coaching, Eliot said.

"I always looked at Florida State, they weren't lucky to have me, but I was lucky to have Florida State," Eliot said. "Coach Fisher took a chance on me. I was a young d-line coach at Rice that did a good job in an interview so I tried to repay him every single day with my work."

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Josh Kendall is a staff writer for CoachingSearch.com and has covered the SEC for more than 15 years for papers such as the Athens Banner-Herald, Macon Telegraph, and The State. He’s the father of two boys who he’s hoping don’t inherit his wide receiver frame and offensive guard feet. Follow @EyeOnCoaches on twitter and send your feedback to josh@coachingsearch.com