Peyton Barber Auburn

Auburn quarterback Jeremy Johnson (6) hands off to Auburn running back Peyton Barber (25) during warm ups Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013, at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

Every good football fan knows the basic statistics: total yards, rushing defense, yards per carry, sacks, tackles, etc. But like any statistic, the basics rarely tell the whole story, and in this series, AL.com aims to identify a few key numbers to watch as Auburn's 2014 season unfolds.

The question: How will Gus Malzahn identify his go-to running back next season?

The stat: Short-yardage situations.

The numbers: Early last season, Tre Mason and Cameron Artis-Payne shared the lead role, all the way through the first three games and into Baton Rouge against LSU. After that, Mason was the clear bell cow in Auburn's backfield. The biggest difference? Mason picked up 27 first downs in 32 short-yardage situations -- 3rd-and-3 or less, and on 4th down -- converting on 84.4 percent. Artis-Payne, on the other hand, was 9-of-13, or 69.2 percent, and for that reason, Auburn stuck with Mason in short-yardage situations after giving his running mate every chance to be the short-yardage back early in the year.

The exception: As usual, Cam Newton makes for a pretty big exception. In 2010, Auburn used Newton on 33 short-yardage carries, and he converted 25. With Newton's 250-pound frame taking snaps, Mike Dyer got just six short-yardage carries despite being the lead back.

Why it matters: Both Malzahn and Rhett Lashlee flat-out said in the spring that being able to get the tough yards would be the eventual difference in a running back competition that likely won't be decided until the games begin. The conventional football wisdom says that the bigger the back, the better he is in short-yardage, making Barber the clear leader at 225 pounds. But that's not always the case. Artis-Payne, who played near 220 pounds last season, dropped to 210 in the offseason after Mason, who weighed 207 pounds, used his quickness so well to find holes in short-yardage situations.