The stands at Sanford Stadium started to empty out early in the fourth quarter Saturday evening, as many of Georgia’s fans wandered off into the twilight, looking to get an early start on the night’s festivities.

Three days earlier, Auburn offensive lineman Brandon Council confidently said the team’s goal was “to go in there like a SWAT team, in and out and quiet the noise, and beat their behinds and get out.” Unfortunately for the Tigers, and for Council, this wasn’t quite what they had in mind.

The din between the hedges petered out with about 11 minutes to go in The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, but not because Auburn was accomplishing its mission. It was because Georgia was thoroughly demolishing its cross-division rival. The final score when all was said and done: Georgia 42, Auburn 10 — the most-lopsided result in the series since the Bulldogs’ 38-0 win in 2012.

It was the latest setback for Auburn in the longstanding rivalry, as Georgia has won six straight in the series and eight in a row in Athens, Ga. It was also the latest deflating loss for Auburn under second-year coach Bryan Harsin, as the program continues on the downward trajectory that began last November.

Auburn (3-3, 1-2 SEC) is now just 9-10 under Harsin. The Tigers have lost nine of their 13 games against Power 5 competition since Harsin took over, and they’re now just 1-6 in their last seven SEC games under the beleaguered coach. The latest setback between the hedges exhibited many of the familiar woes that have plagued the team since the end of last October — including an inability to finish drives and an offense that continues to trudge through the second half of games.

Here are AL.com’s key takeaways from Saturday’s blowout between the hedges:

An early gamble doesn’t pay off

For the second game in a row, Auburn attempted an ill-fated trick play that proved costly.

A week removed from Koy Moore’s interception on a failed wide receiver pass against LSU, Auburn got bold — albeit seemingly misguided — with its play-calling late in the first quarter against Georgia. At the end of a scoreless opening period that saw the two teams combine for five punts and a missed field goal, Auburn faced fourth-and-6 from its own 34-yard line. The Tigers’ punt team took the field, but instead of a fourth punt of the afternoon from Oscar Chapman, Auburn ran a fake.

Auburn snapped the ball to tight end John Samuel Shenker, who was lined up as the up-back on the play, and he attempted to pick up the first down but was stopped 4 yards short of the line to gain. The turnover on downs set up Georgia’s offense at the Auburn 36-yard line, and the Bulldogs did not take long to take advantage of the short field.

Georgia put together a seven-play scoring drive that was capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by Kenny McInstosh to put the Bulldogs in front, 7-0, with 11:42 to go in the first half.

The thwarted fake punt, in a game that to that point was a defensive tug-o-war, shifted the afternoon to Georgia’s favor. The Bulldogs went into halftime with a 14-0 lead, scoring a second touchdown on a short field thanks to an Auburn special teams mishap — this time giving up a big punt return to Ladd McConkey that gave Georgia the ball at the Auburn 31-yard line. Three plays later, the Bulldogs were in the end zone.

Offense still looking for answers

Auburn’s best offense for much of its time between the hedges came when plays broke down and Robby Ashford had to rely on his leg to make something happen.

That’s less than ideal, especially on the road against your rival.

Two of Auburn’s three biggest plays in the first half were third-down scrambles by Ashford for 15 and 17 yards. Three of Auburn’s four third-down conversions in the first half were thanks to runs by Ashford, who also converted a third-and-6 on the Tigers’ opening possession.

Of course, Ashford’s running ability was a double-edged sword for Auburn. Along with the big plays, he also committed the team’s lone first-half turnover on a run — fumbling the ball on a third-down keeper, untouched. Georgia recovered, as Auburn’s best drive of the first half was stopped dead in its tracks.

Even when Auburn was gifted a short field, it couldn’t capitalize. Colby Wooden recovered a fumble at the Georgia 19-yard line on the Bulldogs’ first possession of the third quarter, setting up the Tigers in the red zone. Auburn mustered just 7 yards before settling for a 29-yard Anders Carlson field goal that cut Georgia’s lead to 14-3 early in the second half.

Auburn’s lone touchdown came early in the fourth quarter, with the game well in hand for Georgia. Ashford found Jarquez Hunter for a 62-yard touchdown pass. Hunter did most of the heavy lifting, spinning through three would-be tacklers near midfield and racing down the sideline for the touchdown.

The Tigers finished the game with 258 total yards of offense: 93 rushing yards and 165 passing, as Ashford completed just 13-of-38 passes on the day.

Defense can’t stop the run

Auburn’s defense did its best to keep Georgia in check in the first half, only giving up a pair of touchdowns on short fields, but as the game wore on, the Bulldogs imposed their will — particularly on the ground.

Auburn gave up 292 rushing yards to Georgia, which averaged 7.5 yards per carry and scored six touchdowns on the ground Saturday. It was the most rushing touchdowns Auburn has surrendered in a game since Johnny Manziel’s Texas A&M scored six against the Tigers in 2012. It’s the most yards per carry allowed by Auburn in a game since Leonard Fournette’s LSU team averaged 8.56 yards per carry in the teams’ 2015 meeting in Death Valley.

It was a well-distributed effort by the Bulldogs, too. Branson Robinson led the way with 98 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Daijun Edwards had 83 yards and three touchdowns on 12 attempts. Stetson Bennett had 64 yards and a touchdown on three carries, including a 64-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter that stretched Georgia’s lead to 28-3. Kenny McIntosh added 38 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game in the first half with an injury.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.