FSU's Reliford must step up against UNC

Beau Reliford once dreamed about playing both football and basketball at Florida State.

His focus now is completely on football. It needs to be now that the sophomore takes on expanded responsibilities as the starting tight end - just in time for North Carolina and a group of defensive ends that have already accounted for 12 of the team's 15 sacks.

FSU will be without senior Caz Piurowski who was off to a stellar season with 13 catches and two touchdowns plus a huge presence as a blocker. Piurowski suffered a season-ending knee injury against Georgia Tech.

Enter Reliford and Lincoln High graduate Ja'Baris Little.

"It's another opportunity to show people what I can do on the field," said the Dillard High graduate who no longer thinks about playing basketball, a sport in which he earned second-team 5A all-state honors.

The 6-foot-7 Reliford had already made a splash in the first half of the season for the Seminoles as another tall target for Christian Ponder. Reliford enters the Thursday night game with four receptions for 34 yards and a touchdown.

But it as a blocker, something he wasn't asked to do much of in high school, where he must rise to the challenge of facing UNC. The Tar Heels are ranked No. 3 in total defense nationally. Blocking on the edges has been an issue at times this season for the Seminoles.

"He has a big body; he's athletic," FSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher said. "This is a great opportunity for him right now to just jump in there. He's getting better at putting his face in there and blocking. Even when he was in high school, they flanked him out as wide out, used his skill because of his size. .... It took him awhile. We challenged him. It got pushy at times."

Now Reliford is pushing opponents back. He'd like to add to his catches but he knows blocking is an essential part of his duties, especially without Piurowski available. How much he has improved will be seen against the likes of UNC defensive ends Robert Quinn and Quinton Coples. Reliford, who played some as a true freshman a year ago, said he is now just getting into the technique of blocking.

"They use their hands very well and that's something we have to do as tight ends is get our hands on the inside of them," Reliford said of UNC's defensive ends. "That's most of our main focus right now as tight ends, to hold those defensive ends off from getting in the backfield."

Fisher isn't concerned that Reliford will be making his starting debut on the national stage of an ESPN-televised Thursday night game. Reliford's tenacity in practices since Piurowski's injury did not go unnoticed by Fisher.

"He's been in big-time AAU basketball and he's been up here and has been in a big-time environment," Fisher said. "He's a competitor, and I think he'll step up to the challenge."