Bryan Harsin was left searching Saturday evening — searching for answers, for results, for hope.

The beleaguered second-year Auburn coach found none of those in the wake of another unsettling loss, this one a 42-10 thrashing at the hands of rival Georgia that dropped Auburn to 3-3 on the year and now just 9-10 under Harsin’s guidance. At the root of the Tigers’ latest setback was another hapless offensive performance: 258 total yards, 4.1 yards per play, just 10 first downs, no semblance of a run game and a wildly inconsistent passing attack — all combined to produce just 10 points in the program’s most lopsided loss since the 2012 Iron Bowl.

“At some point, you have to put some points on the board,” Harsin said. “You’ve got to even the game out, keep it close and give some hope.”

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That hope was fleeting at Sanford Stadium, as an early defensive battle quickly devolved into a demolition at the hands of the Bulldogs, thanks in large part to the Tigers’ ineffectiveness on offense.

Auburn had eight first-half possessions against Georgia. Five of those ended in punts, including three three-and-outs. Another ended in an ill-fated fake punt attempt that was stopped short of the line to gain (and subsequently gave Georgia a short field that led to its first touchdown of the day). The Tigers’ most promising first-half drive was stymied when Robby Ashford fumbled the ball, apparently untouched, while trying to convert a third down with his legs. The final possession of the first half ended when time ran out and Auburn at its own 40-yard line.

By then, the deficit was 14-0—far from insurmountable, but still a steep climb for a team that has struggled to score in the second half of games.

The Tigers had an opportunity to cut that lead in half early in the third quarter. Colby Wooden forced and recovered a fumble on Georgia’s opening drive of the second half, setting Auburn’s offense up inside the red zone at the 19-yard line. The Tigers managed just 7 yards on the next three plays before settling for a 29-yard Anders Carlson field goal that put them on the board but kept the Bulldogs’ two-score lead intact.

“We have to capitalize on that,” tight end and captain John Samuel Shenker said. “Those have to be touchdowns. I don’t exactly know the details on what happened. Obviously they’re still a good defense and we still have to execute our plays. It was good to come away with points, but when we have that kind of opportunity, we’ve got to be able to score touchdowns. In this conference that’s a must. That’s something we’ve got to get better at.”

The inability to make the most of the shortened field only underscored Auburn’s struggles in the second half, and the third quarter specifically. The Tigers managed just 40 yards of offense in the third period and averaged fewer than 3 yards per play. Robby Ashford completed 2-of-7 passes for 29 yards, while Auburn had a meager 11 rushing yards on seven attempts against Georgia’s defense right after halftime.

Carlson’s field goal marked the first points scored in the third quarter by Auburn against a Power 5 opponent this season.

“I wish I had the answer for that,” Harsin said of the third-quarter offensive issues. “I really do. If I did, we would fix those things. I think part of the struggle is you’re playing good teams. Part of the struggles are some self-inflicted things that we’ve done to ourselves. And the key to having a successful game is being consistent throughout the game, and whether at the end of it, the score is in your favor or not, you want to have some type of consistency.”

The one highlight for Auburn’s offense in the second half came in the fourth quarter, after Georgia was already ahead 35-3. Ashford found running back Jarquez Hunter on a quick pass, and the sophomore took it 62 yards for the score, spinning through three Georgia defenders near midfield before racing toward the end zone. It was Auburn’s first second-half touchdown in SEC play this season and the team’s longest play from scrimmage all year.

It was also too little, too late, as Auburn’s offensive inconsistencies buried it in another disheartening loss. In its four games against Power 5 opponents this season, Auburn has managed 12, 17, 17 and 10 points—just 14 points per game. That’s tied for 95th among FBS teams, and the only Power 5 teams with worse scoring offenses against Power 5 competition are Rutgers (13.8 points per game), Iowa (13.5) and Iowa State (13.5).

“The most frustrating thing is we’re not (consistent),” Harsin said. “You know, we do some really, really good things at times, and then, you know, we just have some things that hurt us…. I just think we’re too up and down throughout games and that’s what we have to clean up. And that’s really the challenge is just knowing that we can go execute these things and also putting our guys in the position to have a chance to be successful as well.

“So, it’s a combination of we have to do a better job coaching and put them in better positions to be successful. And then we’ve got to go out there and make those plays when we have an opportunity to do that. We’ll be more consistent with that.”

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