Florida QB Luke Del Rio out after shoulder injury

Quarterback Luke Del Rio will not play in Saturday’s game against South Carolina after suffering a shoulder injury during last week’s loss to Arkansas, coach Jim McElwain said Monday.

McElwain said the injury occurred during the second quarter when Del Rio was slammed to the ground on a hit. He threw an interception to Josh Liddell on the next pass.

“I should have made a change at halftime,” McElwain said.

However, Del Rio stayed in the game and Gators either punted or turned the ball over on downs in four of their five second-half plays. The other series resulted in a 50-yard field goal. It was the only offensive drive for the Gators the entire game that resulted in points.

McElwain said Austin Appleby, whose play had mixed results while Del Rio was injured earlier in the season, would take the first snap at practice, but that freshmen Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask also would get work.

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The change in quarterback might not be a bad thing as Del Rio has thrown six interceptions to just two touchdowns in his past three contests.

Florida is the top team in the SEC East, but its grip is loosening. It needs to win its final conference games against South Carolina and LSU to ensure its place in the SEC title game.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday