 |
www.packers.com | |||
 |
||||
|
return to site | |||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
posted 07/18/2007
It's the dream of every NFL player to get to the Super Bowl, but rookie DeShawn Wynn got about as close as any football player could before turning pro.
A standout running back for the Florida before being drafted by the Packers in the seventh round this past April, Wynn played a key role in the Gators' 41-14 victory over Ohio State in the BCS National Championship Game.
"It's kind of unreal at the moment, and you're kind of soaking it in," Wynn said of playing in a football game with the highest of stakes. "Just going out there seeing the atmosphere and seeing how it's done big-time was interesting."
Wynn put together a big-time performance, to be sure. He was the game's leading rusher, with 19 carries for 69 yards. His 2-yard touchdown run on the opening play of the second quarter gave Florida a 21-7 lead.
Late in the third quarter, Wynn ripped off a 17-yard run for a first down that got the Gators out of a field-position hole. Then in the fourth quarter, with Florida running all but 19 seconds of the final 8:10 off the clock, Wynn got the ball eight times in a span of 11 plays, churning out 31 yards.
"Probably the most memorable part was at the end, seeing the whole team celebrate, just knowing what you put into it," Wynn said. "We had a lot of seniors on the team, 22 seniors, so that was kind of special. We had been through a lot together, and just to see us come to that point and win a championship after all we'd been through was the most memorable part of it."
The game was special from a personal standpoint for Wynn, too. An Ohio native, Wynn had decided against going to his home-state school, and he wound up his college career playing against Ohio State for the national title.
"A lot of people I went to high school with went to Ohio State," Wynn said. "When I went home before Christmas I heard a lot of talk about the Buckeyes, because that's all you hear about in Ohio.
"I knew everybody was going to be watching and it was a good chance to show everybody I didn't make a mistake by going to Florida and not choosing Ohio State."
None of the prognosticators were choosing Florida, however. Ohio State was a heavy favorite, and the Gators accepted their supposed underdog role quietly and effectively, following the leadership of head coach Urban Meyer.
"We took it real personal," Wynn said of all the predictions of an Ohio State romp. "We didn't say much about it to the media, but we knew what we had to do to handle our business. Coach Meyer is a good motivator. He gets you read for those types of games, but he doesn't want you to say anything about it."
Wynn credited Meyer for getting him ready for the NFL. Wynn got on his coach's wrong side at times in Gainesville but has chalked it all up to a valuable learning experience.
"He definitely makes you practice the way you need to practice in order to play right," Wynn said.
The Gators, and Wynn, definitely played right that night, blowing out the team that had been ranked No. 1 from the preseason on.
"Scoring a touchdown and playing against my home-state team made it all one big dream for me," Wynn said.