Suddenly, statistics do not seem so important.
While the Gators won their first three games, many fans were unhappy with an offense that wasn't recording eye-popping numbers.
Then the big numbers came (see: 443 total yards of offense), but they ended in a 31-30 defeat at the hands of Mississippi.
So when No. 12 UF (3-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) travels to play Arkansas (2-2, 0-1 SEC), its focus will be on the only figure that matters - wins.
"It's not the first time, and it won't be the last time this year we'll face adversity square in the face," coach Urban Meyer said. "We haven't really faced it. We've been playing fairly well, fairly consistent (before the Mississippi game). The biggest adversity we've had is someone saying, 'Boy you guys aren't having 500-yard games.' Well, OK, that was the biggest adversity we had to deal with. Now we're dealing with (real adversity), and I kind of like our reaction so far."
The last time these two teams met was the 2006 SEC Championship Game, and much has changed since then. UF won that matchup 38-28 on its way to claiming a national title, and Arkansas enters the game having lost two straight by an average of 38.5 points. Houston Nutt, now with the Rebels, was the coach for the Razorbacks then, and they featured a two-headed rushing attack with Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, both of whom now suit up on Sundays for NFL Teams.
But the bigger storyline this week will be UF's recovery from last week's surprising loss, and a big emphasis has been put on fundamentals this week.
"Your fundamentals are what you rely on at the end of the game," wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales said. "You listen to great coaches and great teams - it's when you fundamentally can do the little things better than everyone else."
Gonzales' unit is one of those that had some fundamental breakdowns against the Rebels. Several receivers dropped passes, not to mention four plays where Tim Tebow overthrew an open man. The ball continues to be spread around, although Gonzales said that getting few looks a game is not an excuse. Tebow completed 24 passes Saturday, but only six of those were to a receiver not named Percy Harvin (four were to Louis Murphy, two were to Riley Cooper).
"You've got to stay mentally focused," he said. "The physical part of the game is going to come to you. … You may not be the guy until the fourth quarter, but when your number is called, it better be no different. When you touch the ball you better have 92,000 fans standing on their feet because they don't know what you're going to do when you catch the ball."
Another fundamental breakdown came in the secondary last week when Jevan Snead connected on an 86-yard touchdown pass to Shay Hodge, who had gotten behind the Gators' defense. The unit should get a chance to show improvement against a pass-happy Arkansas offense. Manning the helm of that offense will be senior Casey Dick, who leads the Southeastern Conference with 242.2 passing yards per game.
UF safeties coach Chuck Heater classified the passing attack as "expansive" and "comprehensive."
"They've got a very large book," he said. "They'll come out and break something out a little different probably on Saturday."
The past two years, losses have been the defining point of a UF season.
In 2006, a 27-17 loss at Auburn rallied the team to seven straight wins and a national championship. Last year, the Auburn home loss was followed up by a tough loss at LSU.
Everyone is waiting to see how this team reacts Saturday.
"We got hit in the mouth, and it's an opportunity to come back and find out," Meyer said. "This will tell you a lot about what kind of season we're going to have."
