When you look at the stats and see that Auburn was 8-of-14 on third down, you might conclude they did a good job of sustaining drives. That was the case on Auburn’s first possession when they converted on three third downs before scoring. After that drive, Auburn was a little less-impressive: 5-of-11. One of those five was the screen pass with two seconds remaining in the first half, and another was late in the fourth quarter with the backups in. In other words, Auburn didn’t have a meaningful third down conversion after the middle of the second quarter.

We knew that the Auburn offense is geared to move the chains on third and short, and they did well in that situation. They converted five of their seven opportunities at 3rd and 4 or shorter. It stands out that one of those Georgia stops was on Auburn’s second possession following Georgia’s failed fake punt. With momentum on their side, a lead, and a lucky break from the incorrect penalty on the fake punt, Auburn was set up to drive for a two-score lead. Stopping Artis-Payne a yard short on 3rd and 3 was a big moment in the game.

The Tigers were predictably less-effective on longer third down distances, converting three of seven. One was unfortunately on the opening drive and led to a score. The other two longer conversions were inconsequential – you had a screen just before halftime and a 25-yard completion against the reserves in the waning moments.

Third down distance is all about success on first and second down. Seven of Auburn’s ten first half third down opportunities were short yardage. They did a good job on the early downs of getting in a position to move the chains, and they converted 70% of their third downs in the first half. Fortunately Georgia was able to put together a pair of long scoring drives in the second quarter to keep the Auburn offense off the field. The Georgia defense avoided the big play and made enough timely stops to prevent Auburn from putting any more points on the board. Auburn converted just one third down all game in Georgia territory, and that was on the opening drive.

Though the Georgia defense was playing well for much of the first half, they really stepped it up on first and second down after intermission. Auburn didn’t have a single third down opportunity in the second half shorter than 3rd and 8. Their average distance to go on third downs in the second half (after penalties) was over 13 yards. That was a great job by the Georgia defense to slam the door and make sure there wouldn’t be any fourth quarter drama this year.