Advanced passing stat reinforces opinion on Alabama, Auburn quarterbacks
By Keith Farner
Published:
It wouldn’t be breaking news to most SEC fans to see Tua Tagovailoa and Jarrett Stidham at opposite ends of a given quarterback stat.
But this stat from CFB Film Room reveals that the Auburn quarterback only completes 35 percent of his passing attempts when throwing past the first down marker on third or fourth down. The Alabama quarterback, meanwhile, is sitting at nearly 77 percent in the same situation.
Perhaps more alarming for Auburn fans, and a glimpse into the nature of the Tigers’ play-calling, is that Stidham’s only attempting passes past the marker 41.7 percent of the time on third or fourth down, which is last in the SEC. Tagovailoa is eighth in the league at 61.9 percent.
Similarly, Alabama leads the SEC in third down conversions at 58.8 percent, while Auburn is next-to-last at 32.5 percent. Alabama is 2-for-3 on fourth down, and Auburn is 3-for-8 on fourth down.
How often do SEC quarterbacks throw past the sticks on 3rd and 4th down? pic.twitter.com/qWweUqEOb3
— CFB Film Room (@CFBFilmRoom) October 11, 2018
And here’s how each QB performs when throwing past the sticks on 3rd and 4th down pic.twitter.com/DOwwhN9zeK
— CFB Film Room (@CFBFilmRoom) October 11, 2018
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
