Appleby relies on being prepared
Despite losing record at Purdue, QB is confident
GAINESVILLE During the two seasons he played quarterback at Purdue, Austin Appleby knew he never really had a chance.
The question nowis what are the Gators’ chances with Appleby leading the offense.
The UF graduate transfer will replace injured starter Luke Del Rio during No. 19 Florida’s (3-0) highly anticipated visit to No. 14 Tennessee (3-0) Saturday.
Appleby will arrive with a 2-9 record as a starter, including a 1-5 record on the road. But the circumstances are completely different with the Gators, he said.
“Just got to do my job,” Appleby said Monday. “Just got to work the offense, trust coach’s plan, trust my teammates and just go find the open guy, and everything will take care of itself.”
The Gators have the nation’s top-ranked defense, a run game averaging 202 yards per contest and a kicker, Eddy Pineiro, with 55-yard range.
Purdue’s defense and run game ranked near the bottom of the Big Ten the past two seasons, while the 2015 Boilermakers were last in field-goal percentage. These factors often forced the quarterback to play catchup and carry the offense.
Appleby struggled to shoulder the load, but some of Purdue’s losses also fell squarely on him.
The low point was a 41-31loss at Marshall to open the 2015 season. The game began with a pick-six by Appleby, featured another pick-six to the same defender with 1:20 re-
maining in a 3-point game and ended on Appleby’s fourth interception of the day.
During a loss to Virginia Tech two weeks later, Appleby was benched after going 9-of-28 passing and throwing a pair of interceptions, one of his seven starts with at least two picks.
He would sit out the next seven games until starter David Blough suffered a season-ending concussion at Iowa. Appleby started the season finale and passed for a career-high 332 yards during a 54-36 loss at Iowa.
The next day, Appleby asked coach Darrell Hazell to release him from his scholarship. Three weeks later, he landed at Florida, home to his childhood idol, Tim Tebow.
“Everything that happened at Purdue, in my opinion— the good, bad and indifferent — has prepared me for right now,” Appleby said. “I’ve learned what it means when I have to go into a game and win a shootout. I’ve also learned what it’s like when you try to cover too many people and you make mistakes. ...
“You know, me saying that I have to score 40 is the problem.”
Purdue allowed an average of 36.5 points during Apple by’s 11 starts and yielded more than 50 points in two of his three starts last season. Meanwhile, the Boilermakers scored an average of 26.9 points with Apple by at quarterback.
The Gators’ defense has allowed two touchdowns in three games and is confident Appleby can do the job while Del Rio is sidelined.
“We got a guy that we’re extremely confident in, just based on the preparation that he puts into the game and howhard he goes at it in practice each and everyday ,” star linebacker Jarrad Davis said. “I’m extremely confident in what Appleby can do.”
Appleby never has lacked for confidence, even during those trying times at Purdue.
“I put myself in the best position I can possibly be to be our guy. I think I am our guy,” he said after he was benched last season. “I don’t apologize for any decision that I make on the field because I put the work in. ...
“I felt confident about every single throw I’ve made this season. Some work, some don’t.”
Appleby does not possess Del Rio’s accuracy or grasp of the offense. Appleby does not throw a pretty pass like first-year freshmen Kyle Trask and Feleipe Franks.
But Appleby is the best athlete among the four UF quarterbacks. He ran for nine touchdowns at Purdue, eight of them as a starter.
The 23-year-old also has the most experience, something that could come in handy in Knoxville.
“The guy, he’s played,” coach Jim McElwain said. “He’s been in games. He knows howto prepare.”
On Saturday, the Gators will find out if Appleby is prepared to lead them. He has no doubt in his mind.
“There’s an opportunity to do something great,” he said. “We know what we’re capable of.”