FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Let's forget about numbers for a second.
Put aside the season-high 514 yards the Gators racked up in a 38-7 win against Arkansas Saturday and wipe away the long touchdown runs by Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps in the final minutes that turned an unimpressive win into a rout.
And erase the notion that this was a bounce-back statement for No. 11 UF after last week's stunning loss to Mississippi. That upset was a wake-up call for the Gators, and it appears they groggily hit the snooze button on Saturday.
"I don't think we played a great game," coach Urban Meyer said. "Obviously, that's very far from a finished product, but that's what happens in college football."
The offense went the way of the weather in Razorback Stadium - fluctuating between warm and chilly. The Gators chewed up yards and moved across the field with the consistency of a lawn mower on some drives, but on others, penalties and poor execution left them stagnant.
In fact, for most of the game, the Gators' performance was pretty similar to their play against the Rebels. Through three quarters, UF had just 12 more yards than against Mississippi in that time frame, the same number of points (17) and 55 more penalty yards.
UF (4-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) amassed 12 penalties for 110 yards but avoided the turnovers and crucial mistakes that handed last week's game away.
The Gators' 21 points and 246 yards in the fourth quarter probably were enough to make poll voters think the game was a return to last season's form, but Meyer knows better.
"Mundane, that's a good word," he said of his offense's play at times. "I would agree with that. I like to use the word awful. Can I explain it? No. You can't guarantee much, but you can guarantee that the personnel on offense is working really hard to get this thing right."
And next week would be a good time for the team to start clicking, as No. 4 LSU will be in town.
Quarterback Tim Tebow exorcised his demons from last week by converting twice on fourth-down runs, but something still didn't seem normal about his play, fueling speculation he might be injured or sore.
Tebow can be seen frequently stretching his back on the sideline during games, and he has forgone his usual stiff-arming, shoulder-plowing running style. He didn't quite douse the flames that he's banged up, saying after the game, "I was all right," while smiling.
Tebow was 17-of-26 for 217 yards and two touchdowns and had 12 carries for 32 yards, but he also threw his first interception in 203 attempts in the third quarter.
The highlight for Tebow came on the next possession, a six-play, 83-yard touchdown drive in which he was 4-for-4 for 76 yards. He polished it off with a 21-yard strike to receiver Percy Harvin that sent Meyer onto the field to congratulate him.
"I just wanted him to feel good about himself, because that was his best throw, I think, of the season," Meyer said. "He let that son of a gun come out of his hand and split the middle of the field."
On defense, UF surrendered a season-high 361 yards, more than half of which came by way of running back Michael Smith. Smith ran for 133 yards and a touchdown, and he finished with 182 total yards.
However, the defense was able to stop the bleeding when it mattered by holding the Razorbacks (2-3, 0-2 SEC) scoreless on several drives that entered Gators territory. They stymied Arkansas on two fourth-down tries, intercepted a pass at the goal line and blocked a short field goal.
That was more than enough to defeat a Razorbacks squad that lost its last two contests by seven and five touchdowns, but middle linebacker Brandon Spikes knows the Gators will have to do better when the Tigers (4-0, 2-0 SEC) come calling.
"We had a lot of blown assignments, and a lot of guys didn't hit their gaps like they were supposed to," Spikes said. "We've got a lot of cleaning up to do before our next big game. Defensively, we're not satisfied."
