GAINESVILLE, Fla. — As the Gators tried to figure out what went wrong in Knoxville, their quarterback gave a speech to rally the troops. Not the quarterback who threw three touchdown passes, but the one who didn’t take a snap.

Florida coach Jim McElwain said the team took Luke Del Rio’s postgame speech to heart.

“The reason we had him dressed at the last game, I really felt that he did a great job with Austin (Appleby) on the sideline. I think he was really good for our team,” McElwain said. “He said a few words afterward in the locker room as well, I think, that really resonated with some guys. And, you know, he’s a valuable piece of this.”

The fact that Del Rio was at Neyland Stadium says a lot about his importance to the team. While the NCAA sets FBS scholarship limits at 85 players, the SEC limits a team’s travel roster to only 70 players. It’s not often you see an injured player unlikely to participate still make the trip.

The Gators are back on the road this week, traveling to Nashville to face Vanderbilt.

Senior safety Marcus Maye said Del Rio’s postgame speech showed that he is one of the team’s leaders, even when he doesn’t play.

“It was big. He’s our leader as a quarterback, even though he didn’t play,” Maye said. “His message was just, ‘Everybody stick together. We’re still good. We’re still, as a team, we’re confident.’ So it was a good message.”

Appleby also endorsed Del Rio addressing the team as a leader.

“There were a lot of guys in the locker room that were talking. Again, there was a lot of emotions,” Appleby said. “A lot of our leaders stepped up. There were a lot of tears in that locker room. The things that were said in that locker room will stay in there, but I’m really, really encouraged by the way we reacted.”

Given Appleby’s stat line (23-of-39, 296 yards, 3 TD, INT), one has to wonder if the quarterback competition will be revived when Del Rio is completely rehabilitated from his knee injury. The current signal-caller won’t give the job back without a fight.

“I don’t count my reps, I make my reps count. I don’t control those things,” Appleby said when asked about the long-term starting quarterback. “What I control is my preparation this week, the way I practice, the way I affect my teammates in a positive way. Go out there and be the most prepared quarterback in the country and try to help the Gators win a game on Saturday.

“What happens after that is not in my hands at all. I would like to at least put some pressure on and be the quarterback for this team. I think I am. I didn’t come here not to be. But again, that’s a question for Coach Mac and hopefully my play takes care of itself.”

Competition, however, hasn’t stopped either quarterback from being a valuable teammate to the other.

“We’ve got a great relationship,” Appleby said. “He and I support each other as good as any quarterback that I’ve ever been with. He’s a great teammate. He wants to win. I’ve said it before and I’m sure he’s said it: It doesn’t matter who’s in there. We want to win and we’re going to support each other because we see the big picture.

“If there is division in the quarterback room there is going to be division in the locker room, and there’s not that here. We want to win a championship. We support each other to the fullest.”