War Eagles/White join UGA’s least efficient

Pat’s Weekly Stat (you likely won’t see anywhere else): Several things jumped out at me from Saturday’s final statistics. But, something I found particularly noteworthy were the passing totals for Auburn—a team which entered averaging nearing 200 passing yards per game. The Tigers threw for just 37 yards on 8-of-22 passing with one interception.

I went as far back as 1968 (and I’ve mentioned here before why that season in particular is a good starting point in comparing statistics) and discovered that the 37-yard passing total is tied for the 22nd fewest yielded by a Georgia defense, and the 10th fewest beginning in 1980:

Realizing, simply, some teams didn’t need to throw the ball to defeat Georgia, I also included the respective rushing yardage totals in the table above. Notably, the Bulldogs have a rather mediocre 39-25-3 record since 1968 when allowing 75 passing yards or less, which explains why their opposition in the 67 games in which it passed for 75 yards or less averaged nearly 220 yards rushing per game.

Although a low amount of passing yardage often can be rationalized, a meager passing efficiency generally cannot. And, Auburn quarterback Sean White, who entered Saturday’s game as the most efficient passer in the SEC, and the 12th-most in the entire FBS, was about as efficient versus Georgia as a man with lock jaw in a pie-eating contest.

White’s passing performance against the Bulldogs, whereby he completed only 6-of-20 passes for 27 yards and an interception—or, a passing efficiency of 31.34—ranks as the 8th-worst rating against a Georgia defense amongst the passers with at least 10 pass attempts in the 67 games in which the Bulldogs allowed 75 passing yards or less: