Austin Appleby prepared to start with Del Rio out

When Florida Gators quarterback Luke Del Rio went down late in the third quarter after a late hit by North Texas defensive end Joshua Wheeler, backup quarterback Austin Appleby took the field for the Florida Gators. He was 2-4 with 30 passing yards and five yards rushing.
Florida teaches the next man up mentality, and that’s exactly what Appleby’s mindset was when his number was called. While his moment did not come in the way he wanted, he took the field like it had been his job all along. “Nobody skips a beat,” he said on going in for Del Rio. “A couple slaps on the butt, here we go, let’s do it men. It doesn’t matter who is in. It doesn’t matter about any position. We’ve got such a culture here, we work so hard, we’ve got so much depth. We all have a job to do and if we do our job we’ll be fine.
Now, the graduate transfer will likely be making his first start as a Gator in Neyland Stadium next weekend as Florida takes on Tennessee. Appleby has experience in stadiums such as Notre Dame, Michigan State, and Wisconsin, but his first appearance in an opposing SEC stadium will be the toughest and most important of his career.
While Appleby is excited to finally get his opportunity, he is heartbroken for Del Rio to go down in the third game of the season. “The hit was very dirty in my mind,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any place for that. And my heart breaks for not only one of my best friends, but a teammate of mine who works his tail off every single day.”
Appleby spoke with complete confidence following the game. He is fully aware he could be Florida’s leader for the rest of the year, and he is prepared to do that.
“The preparation doesn’t change. I’ve prepared as a starting quarterback from the moment I arrived on campus whether I was number one or not,” said Appleby. “Preparation never changes. The process to get yourself ready to play never changes. The way that you study film, and affect your team in a positive way. Nothing changes, and nothing’s going to change this week.”
Teammates are still confident heading into Tennessee no matter who the starting quarterback is. They have said all along that every one of the quarterbacks have their own abilities and can lead the team.
“The quarterback position is only as good as the people around him and the people around him are as only as good as the quarterback position, so it works both ways,” said junior cornerback Jalen Tabor. “We’ve got a lot of good receivers, a great offensive line, can’t even count how many running backs, so if Luke can’t go I feel like Austin will step in and get the job done. He has a great defense behind him so he doesn’t really have to force anything.”
McElwain said the game plan will not change against Tennessee whether Del Rio can go or not. He said they will continue to take more shots downfield in the games to come. Whether that is true or not, in times like these, it’s nice to know the Gators have a strong running game. The four-headed monster of Jordan Cronkrite, Jordan Scarlett, Mark Thompson, and Lamical Perine ran for a combined 250 yards against North Texas.
Time will tell as to whether Appleby will be Florida’s starter from here on out or not, but for now he is confident in his abilities. “I go against the best defense in the country every single day in practice so it’s just going to be letting the game come to me, making good decisions and getting the ball to the playmakers,” he said. “We’ll be all right.”