Appleby eager for final opportunity with Gators

Quarterback Austin Appleby is set to finish his one season at Florida with his first career bowl game. (Photo: Jay Metz/For UAA Communications)

Appleby eager for final opportunity with Gators

Tuesday, December 27, 2016 | Football, Scott Carter

The Purdue graduate transfer is set to start Monday's Outback Bowl against Iowa.

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gators know all-too-well the damage a graduate transfer quarterback, already fueled by a one-year opportunity at a new school, can inflict in his final college game.

Remember what Iowa transfer Jake Rudock did a year ago in his final game for Michigan. Rudock threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Wolverines to a 41-7 rout over Florida, earning Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl MVP honors.

If Gators quarterback Austin Appleby believes in destiny, perhaps it's his turn to finish on top when the No. 20-ranked Gators (8-4) face No. 21 Iowa (8-4) on Monday in the Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

The Gators are off to Tampa! ??@GatorsFB @outbackbowl
— Austin Appleby (@AAppleby12) December 27, 2016

As coincidences go, Appleby is due.

"I'm going to make the most of it,'' he said.

A fifth-year graduate transfer from Purdue, Appleby's first college game was against Iowa and Rudock on Nov. 9, 2013. The Boilermakers got crushed at home 38-14 as Rudock won the quarterback matchup that day against Purdue starter Danny Etling (yes, the same Etling who started for LSU on Nov. 19 when Appleby helped the Gators win the SEC East with a 98-yard touchdown pass).

A redshirt freshman at the time, Appleby entered the game late and completed 5 of 6 passes for 68 yards, including his first career touchdown pass on a 44-yard strike to Danny Anthrop.

Three years later Appleby is eager to not only get another shot at Iowa, but to play in his first bowl game.

"It's really cool,'' said Appleby, who faced the Hawkeyes three times while at Purdue without a victory. "My head was spinning [in 2013] because it was my first time being out there. I found a way to punch one in, threw my first touchdown in that game. It's definitely a special memory."

Appleby decided to transfer to Florida for his final season of eligibility to have an opportunity to play in a winning program and improve as a player.

His fresh start didn't open the way he envisioned when Luke Del Rio began the season as Florida's starting quarterback. Del Rio suffered a knee injury in Week 3 that opened the door for Appleby to make his first UF start in a 38-28 loss at Tennessee on Sept. 24. Appleby started the next game at Vanderbilt and then went back to the sideline when Del Rio returned.

However, Del Rio suffered a shoulder injury in a loss at Arkansas on Nov. 5 and Appleby has started four consecutive games. Florida head coach Jim McElwain named him the Outback Bowl starter before the holiday break to give the 6-foot-4, 239-pound Appleby a chance at redemption following a three-interception performance in the SEC Championship Game loss to Alabama.

"Austin's done a good job since he since he's started playing,'' McElwain said. "Obviously, there are some throws that he'd like back, but at the same time, this later in the year he deserves it. I'm excited for him to go play in this game, another opportunity for him to go help this team win."

35038 — Austin Appleby concludes his college career on Monday when the Gators face Iowa in the Outback Bowl. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)

The Gators are 3-3 in Appleby's six starts. He took a lot of heat from fans after three first-half interceptions against Alabama put Florida in a 33-16 hole at halftime.

The perpetually optimistic Appleby quickly refocused on ending his college career on a more positive note.

"I was pretty popular a couple of weeks ago,'' Appleby quipped recently. "Now I'm not so popular. You know what, that's how it goes at the University of Florida when the expectations are so high. The only guys I have to answer to are my teammates, my coaches. The rest of it is noise.

"People are going to write what they're going to write; people are going to say what they're going to say. It has no effect on the way I go do my job. It's too hard already to let that kind of stuff come in. It's an honor to play at this school. It's an honor to play this position in this game. I know what I can do."

Appleby arrived at UF as a temporary solution regardless of how he played. And with Del Rio more familiar with McElwain's offense, he had to wait his turn as true freshmen Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask battled in the shadows.

In the end, Appleby played an important role in helping the Gators repeat as SEC East champions.

He has completed 61.4 percent of his passes (113 of 184) for 1,225 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions. More of a prototype drop-back passer than Del Rio, the biggest difference -- besides the quality of competition -- between Appleby's time as the starter compared to Del Rio's is he has been sacked 17 times, twice as much as Del Rio (eight).

Still, Appleby remained determined to make a difference and be a go-to veteran for his younger teammates.

"Even when he wasn't playing, he was still a great leader,'' cornerback Teez Tabor said. "He always had a positive attitude, and he can play ball. I felt like he provided a spark we needed."

Senior defensive tackle Joey Ivie is impressed at Appleby's ability to remain positive after the Gators lost back-to-back games to FSU and Alabama coming off their biggest victory under McElwain when they upset LSU on the road.

If Appleby was frustrated, Ivie said he never let it impact his attitude.

"He's a guy with a lot of confidence. He has a lot of people hating on him but he's just going to continue doing his thing and not worry about the outside world," Ivie said. "He's got that mindset that I'm not going to let other people bother me."

Some of that approach comes from his football idol, former Gators quarterback Tim Tebow. Both have strong faith and after the loss to Alabama, Tebow, working the game as an analyst for the SEC Network, made sure to say something to Appleby before he left the field.

Appleby won't forget the moment.

"He offered me support, just told me to keep battling,'' Appleby said. "It meant a lot."

So does getting to start the Outback Bowl.

Appleby's season with the Gators wasn't perfect, but after going 6-30 the last three seasons at Purdue, he learned a lot from McElwain and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier about the game and playing quarterback.

He plans to train for a shot at the NFL after Monday's game, taking a new perspective with him.

"I've kind of been reinvented as a quarterback maybe coming from my experiences at my old school, the way that I thought I had to play the position, making every play in the world because if I didn't, we weren't going to have a chance,'' he said. "At the end of the day, it's all about producing, and we all know that, but as far as getting to that point, it's about trusting your process."