Bowl brings Appleby back to beginning
GAINESVILLE — Austin Appleby’s college football debut came in 2013 against Iowa, as a redshirt freshman quarterback at Purdue.
And coincidentally, his final collegiate game will come against Iowa as well, as a fifth-year senior for Florida in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 2 in Tampa.
So much has transpired b e t ween t hos e b o o ke nd games against the Hawkeyes.
He t raded t he s t a r t i ng job back and forth over his last two seasons at Purdue and did the same in this, his lone season at Florida. He received plenty of criticism this fall from a weathe re d f a n bas e wi t h l i t t l e patience remaining for the most demanding position in sports, delivered some highlights along the way, contributed his share of mistakes and all told ended up playing far more than anyone in Gainesville could have imagined.
All the while seeming to enjoy every moment of it, despite whatever the outside perspective may be.
“I try to stay out of the media the best I can. I know you guys do a great job, but I try not to read it,” Appleby said after the Gators’ first bowl practice a week and a half ago. “But we know what goes on in this building. I get coached hard every single day. I know the things that I do well. I know the things I need to work on, so does the rest of this team. The pass game is a reflection not of just me throwing the ball — but it’s protection, it’s receivers being where they need to be. The details of the pass game are so in-depth, at the end of the day what most people see is ( just) the ball and where it goes and that’s the end result.”
What most Florida fans see is a position that still has no superstar seven seasons after Tim Tebow left and will enter yet another offseason with uncertainty as to its future.
The plan for the Gators this fall was not to rely on a graduate transfer quarterback from Purdue, but like most seasons in recent memory for the program, that plan went off script.
Redshirt sophomore Luke Del Rio opened the season as the st ar ter, but he got hurt t wice while missing six games. That opened the door for Appleby, who has his own perspective on this 2016 campaign.
H e h a d g r o w n u p a Gat o r s f a n i n Nor t h e a s t Ohio, inspired by Tebow and dreaming of playing for Florida. And after a fouryear detour to West Lafayette, Ind., he indeed made it to Gainesville with no assurance of playing time.
In the end, he’d play half the season and make one final start in the Outback Bowl.
Ultimately, that’s how he’ll remember this fall.
“It’s a reward for all the hard work. On top of it, it’s his last college experience. I don’t think there’s anybody more happy than Austin,” his father Michael Appleby said. “He has an opportunity to go out and play one more time with his teammates, or as he likes to say, his brothers, and play the game he loves, the game he’s devoted his life to and go out and have some fun. Because in the end it’s a game. ...
“If you were asking me a di f f e re nt ques t i o n, I ’d say there’s no regrets. He’s happy where he’s at, he’s happy with how things have worked out.”
At the very least, it is certainly interesting how things have worked out.
Appleby only got into one game during his redshirt freshman season at Purdue in 2013, a mid-November clash with Iowa.
He came in late to complete 5-of-6 passes for 68 yards and a touchdown — a 44-yard completion in the final minute.
“I was a redshirt freshman and my head was spinning because it was the first time being out there,” he said, reflecting back on that debut. “I found a way to punch one in and threw my first touchdown in that game, so it’s definitely a special memory.”
Appleby played minimally against the Hawkeyes as a s o p h o more , b u t h e h a d another memorable performance against them last fall with Purdue.
After starting the first three games of the 2015 season, he lost the job to David Blough and didn’t play again until a Week 12 visit to unbeaten No. 6 Iowa. Blough got injured in that game, and Appleby would take over and complete 23-of-40 passes for 259 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in a 40-20 loss on a frigid day in Iowa City, with the temperature in the low 20s but feeling even colder.
That’s the game Michael Appleby thinks back to now as his son looks to make one more significant memory against a familiar foe.
“I’m very optimistic,” the elder Appleby said.
While some Gators fans clamored to see true freshman quarterback Feleipe Franks get a shot in the bowl game to get a glimpse at the future, Florida coach Jim McElwain opted to stick with Appleby, and he too is optimistic that the veteran quarterback can script a memorable ending to both his collegiate career and the Gators’ up-and-down season.
“Austin’s done a good job since he’s started playing. Obviously there are some throws that he’d like back, but at the same time this late in the year he deserves it,” McElwain said. “You know what, I’m excited for him to go play in this game.”