It has been as season of ups and downs for this Florida Gators offense due to not having consistent quarterback play, but when his number was called graduate transfer Austin Appleby stepped up to the plate on Senior Day in The Swamp on Saturday.
Appleby led Florida to a 20-7 victory over South Carolina, spoiling former Gators head coach Will Muschamp’s homecoming.
The Purdue quarterback transfer had a very solid day in his first (and final) start at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, throwing 17 completions on 21 passes (81%) for 201 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, while adding six carries for 34 yards and a fumble to his stat line.
On the opening drive, Appleby lead the Gators down past midfield, when he picked up a gain of 33 yards on a read-option carry, putting the Gators inside the 10-yard line. On the next play, Appleby threw to C’yontai Lewis on a play-action pass from six yards out to score on the opening drive of the game.
Halfway through the second quarter, Appleby hit senior wide receiver Ahmad Fulwood for an 18-yard touchdown near the back of the end zone to lift Florida to a 14-0 advantage.
Fulwood believes that Appleby has a lot of great qualities that he brings to the table as the Gators’ starting quarterback.
"A nice confidence, a nice swagger. Austin is a guy that’s not gonna freak out or let us freak out,” said Fulwood. “He kept us very level headed and he kept us moving forward. Things happen in the game, people get hurt. Stuff happens. But, you know, we still got a job to do. He reminded us of that, he kept our cool and led us to a victory."
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The Gators have scored on the opening drive in two games this season (Tennessee, South Carolina) with Appleby starting in both of those contests.
"I think our offense stayed on rhythm,” Appleby expressed. “I think what we didn't do last week was win first and second down, and when you get stuck on third-and-longs, you can be Tom Brady, but it's still going to be hard because then the pass rush starts coming, they start bringing all the exotic blitzes, you get the crazy coverages. It's hard. We won first down. We were able to get into second and manageable where we were able to move the pocket, we were able to do some of the misdirection and we could run the ball.
“[Offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier] is able to get creative in his calls, and once we get our tempo going we started wearing down their front, I stand back there and deliver the ball. You know, that's going to be huge for us, to stay on rhythm, stay on tempo and play the way we can."
One thing the Gators haven’t utilized a lot of this season is the read-option, but with Appleby as the starting quarterback, the Gators can really utilize his mobility.
Gators head coach Jim McElwain was pleased with how the senior quarterback was able to run the ball, along with getting his first win as a starting quarterback for the orange and blue.
“Yeah no I don’t think any doubt, he handled some of the RPO (run-pass option) stuff really well,” explained McElwain. “We’ve got a couple hits off of that. You know, probably shouldn’t have pulled there, I got, I thought he was like Charles Johnson or some guy at Oklahoma or something running option or whatever. But you know, read the key is give it when the guy’s out there, so he got a little excited on that. No, I’m happy for him. He prepared, he prepared well, he’s prepared the whole time he’s been here and you know what, he did a good job with the win.”
The Gators offense clearly looked different on Saturday, as they played with a lot of energy up front and were able to move the ball on a consistent basis, whereas the Gators offense has looked completely different with Luke Del Rio, who has started six of the nine games this season.
In the three games that Appleby has started in an orange and blue jersey, he has completed 59 of 88 passes (67%) for 641 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions.
Del Rio has accumulated 52 completions on 100 passes (52%) with only two touchdowns and six interceptions in his last three games prior to missing Saturday’s game with a shoulder injury.
It is clear that the Gators have been very stagnant at the quarterback position, and it is also clear that Appleby is a guy that can move the offense and roll out of the pocket and find his targets a lot quicker than Del Rio.
It’s uncertain whether Del Rio will be out for the season and if he is, then the Gators will have to rely on the Purdue transfer quarterback to make the best decisions possible with a chance at going to Atlanta to play for the SEC Championship on the line. Florida can clinch an SEC East title on the road next weekend at LSU, in what will be a matchup between two former Purdue quarterbacks in Appleby and LSU’s Danny Etling.
“I don’t count my reps. I make my reps count, but I’m going to be ready to do everything I can do to be the most prepared quarterback in the country, the most prepared quarterback on this team,” Appleby said. “If my number is called I’m up for the challenge and I’m excited for the challenge.”
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