Football odds and ends

AUBURN | The first six weeks of SEC play flew by with No. 24 Auburn finishes on a high note with a 48-11 win over LSU. Below is a look at the odds and ends from the football program during the bye week including the backups, freshmen and key statistics.

** Quarterback Bo Nix is fourth in the SEC averaging 280.2 yards of total offense per game. Nix has a 132.1 passing rating, which ranks eighth. His 221.3 rating against LSU was the second-best of his career. He had a 241.6 against Mississippi State last season.

** Graduate transfer Grant Loy has solidified himself as the No. 2 quarterback playing in three games. Cord Sandberg has yet to play this season.

** Tank Bigsby is second in the SEC averaging 148.8 all-purpose yards per game, and third averaging 23.5 kickoff return yards per game. His 83.3 rushing yards per game rank sixth. Bigsby is now ninth among Auburn freshmen with 503 rushing yards. Michael Dyer holds the record with 1,093 in 2010. Bo Jackson is second with 829 in 1982.

** Running back Mark-Antony Richards played for the first time against LSU, rushing for 16 yards on five carries. Richards is fourth in the running back rotation behind Shaun Shivers, Bigsby and D.J. Williams.

** Seth Williams ranks eighth in the SEC with 85.2 receiving yards per game and eighth with 28 receptions. His 1,875 career receiving yards rank ninth in AU history.

** The 91-yard touchdown pass from Nix to Anthony Schwartz is the longest for both players and the third-longest pass play in AU history.

** With Shedrick Jackson nursing an injury, freshman Ze’Vian Capers has stepped up as AU’s No. 4 wide receiver catching six passes for 73 yards and one touchdown in five games including three starts. Jackson has five career catches in three years.

** Freshman wide receivers Elijah Canion and Malcolm Johnson played for the first time against LSU, but neither registered a reception in limited snaps.

** Freshman tight end J.J. Pegues now has four catches for 33 yards, which is more than AU’s tight ends totaled last season. The group has combined for seven receptions and 54 yards in 2020.

** We got a good look at Auburn’s backup offensive line with the group finishing the final 11 snaps of the game. The group consisted of left tackle Austin Troxell, left guard Kamaar Bell, center Jalil Irvin, right guard Tate Johnson and right tackle Brenden Coffey. Bell, Johnson, a true freshman, and Coffey played for the first time in their careers.

** Redshirt freshman defensive end Colby Wooden continues to lead the SEC with 7.0 tackles-for-loss.

** Freshmen Romello Height returned from injury to play for the first time against LSU. He registered one of Auburn’s five quarterback hurries in his 14 snaps. He could add further depth to the Buck linebacker position, which totaled its first three sacks against LSU including two by Derick Hall.

** Zakoby McClain leads the SEC with 62 tackles and averaging 10.3 per game. Owen Pappoe is sixth averaging 8.8 tackles per game.

** Freshman Cam Riley has become the top backup at linebacker since the injury to K.J. Britt. Riley had three tackles in 29 snaps against LSU.

** Junior college transfer Marco Domio has played in the last two games since returning from injury. He had two tackles in 32 snaps against LSU. Nehemiah Pritchett has started the last five games at cornerback opposite Roger McCreary.

** Jordyn Peters stepped in for Jamien Sherwood at safety when he was injured against LSU. Freshman Chris Thompson Jr. was the next safety off the bench.

** Nineteen of Auburn’s 27 2020 signees have played this season. The eight that have sat out the first six games are quarterback Chayil Garnett, wide receiver J.J. Evans, tight end Brandon Frazier, center Avery Jernigan, offensive tackle Kilian Zierer, defensive tackle Jay Hardy, defensive end Daniel Foster-Allen and cornerback Eric Reed Jr. Frazier and Hardy could return from injuries against Mississippi State and have a role for the final four games.

** AU is eight in the SEC in scoring offense (28.3), sixth in total offense (405.8), sixth in rushing offense (171.3) and ninth in passing offense (234.5). AU is fourth in scoring defense (22.8), sixth in total defense (391.8), 11th in rushing defense (155.7) and fourth in pass defense (236.2).

** AU is 10th in penalty yards per game (48.3), fourth in turnover margin (+0.67), fifth in sacks (12), fourth in 3rd down conversions (49.4%), eighth in sacks allowed (12) and 13th in opponent’s 3rd down conversions (52.1%).