Colleges

Leak, Wynn respond to moment

By ANTONYA ENGLISH
Published September 18, 2006

GAINESVILLE - After his performance in Saturday's 21-20 come-from-behind win over Tennessee, questions about whether Chris Leak is capable of running Florida's offense have been answered with the "H" word: Heisman.

The senior leads the nation in passing efficiency: 55-for-84 (65.48 percent), 10 touchdowns, 799 yards (9.51 yards per attempt) and three interceptions for a 177.5 rating. He is the only Florida quarterback to win in Knoxville, against Georgia twice, in Tallahassee, in Baton Rouge and in a bowl.

"I'll tell you this, if I start hearing that, then Chris Leak won't be playing quarterback at Florida," coach Urban Meyer said of Heisman talk. "If that comes out of Chris Leak's mouth or someone in that vein, they won't be playing. ... That's been made clear from Day One."

Harvin nicked: Freshman playmaker Percy Harvin suffered a left high ankle sprain. He is questionable for the Kentucky game.

RUN, WIN: Senior tailback DeShawn Wynn's 104 yards were crucial, including his 6-yard gain on third and 6 with just under two minutes left to help run out the clock.

Questions about the running game, and Wynn, have dogged this team, but Wynn wasn't prepared to say it was a defining game.

"I don't know if it's the moment," he said. "It's a step toward the moment. We've got to go out every week and prove we can run the ball."

He aids the passing game, too.

"When we have a back that carries the ball like he does, that can get 25-30 carries a game, it takes a lot of pressure off the passing game," Leak said. "DeShawn Wynn is a great running back."

Meyer said the Gators may have found their man, "What's really intriguing to me is we may have found a tailback."

Expect freshman quarterback Tim Tebow, who rushed seven times for 29 yards, to get more playing time this week, Meyer said.

THRILLED: Meyer admitted he was thrilled win in Knoxville, but more for his players than himself.

"I'm not just saying this; it's a lot of satisfaction for a bunch of players who went up there and won on the road," he said. "I'm 42 years old and probably going to be coaching for a little while, and I'll get over it. I just wanted guys like (senior defensive tackle) Ray McDonald, who injured his ACL against Tennessee last year, and Bubba (receiver Andre) Caldwell (broken leg in last year's game) that may never get an opportunity to go up there and win in an environment like that. That's what this is all about."

[Last modified September 18, 2006, 02:45:23]