GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Quarterback Chris Leak had the best line of Florida's post-game press conference Saturday night.

In response to a question, he said: "You can ask DeShawn about that."

No, you can't.

Florida running back DeShawn Wynn stopped talking to the media in preseason. And he wasn't about to start after Saturday night's 41-3 victory over Louisiana Tech.

He made a statement nonetheless. He rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns and caught a 24-yard pass for another score. Most importantly, he brought balance to an offense that was decidedly more pass than run in a season-opening victory over Wyoming.

He played so well he almost earned his coach's trust.

"I think DeShawn practiced well this week and deserved the opportunity to play," Florida coach Urban Meyer said. "He ran hard.

"Do I trust him yet? I'm getting there."

You would think it would be easy for a first-year coach to trust a 230-pound running back who outran the Miami defense for a 65-yard touchdown as a redshirt freshman two years ago. But trusting Wynn has been tougher than catching him.

When Florida changed coaches after last season, Wynn changed doghouses.

Here's what former Florida assistant coach Mike Locksley (now coaching at Illinois) told the Gainesville Sun about Wynn: "He's got so much talent. I coached Lamont Jordan (of the Oakland Raiders) and he couldn't hold DeShawn's jock based on talent. But DeShawn was a head case."

Wynn, a consensus high school All-American running back from Cincinnati, made a dazzling early impression on the Gators. He gained 100 yards on eight carries against Miami, then scored four touchdowns the following week against Florida A&M.

He finished his first season with 540 yards rushing and a seemingly promising college career ahead. He began his second season in former coach Ron Zook's doghouse.

Wynn lost his starting job to Ciatrick Fason. He suffered an injured groin. He even disappeared before the Peach Bowl.

When his coaches called on him to run a play in pregame warm-ups, his number was busy. He was off the field, talking on his cell phone.

Meyer hasn't provided specifics on why he suspended Wynn for the opener. Maybe he just wanted to send a final message before the season started.

The Gators desperately need for Wynn to be dependable. He's their Gerald Riggs Jr.

Tennessee's Riggs was better known as unreliable than unstoppable in his first two years as a college running back. His coaches couldn't count on him as a player or a student.

No coach went on record calling him a "head case," but that was implied.

Riggs didn't change his image overnight. It took an entire season.

While sharing carries with Cedric Houston, Riggs rushed for 1,107 yards last season as a junior. He began this season as a preseason All-SEC player, a long-shot Heisman Trophy candidate, and as arguably the least expendable Vol.

There's no experienced tailback behind him, no reason to believe the running game would be as productive without him. And there's no reason to believe the Gators' running attack would flourish without Wynn.

That's why Wynn's preseason work -- suspension notwithstanding -- and his openingperformance are so encouraging to his teammates.

They consider him a changed man, a reliable man.

"I hate to sound like a father," Florida center Mike DeGory said Saturday night. "But it's great to see somebody turn his life around."

And if he can turn your running game around, too, so much the better.