The SEC’s COVID-19 restrictions prevent an eagle from flying into Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturdays this fall, a brief hiatus in one of the conference’s best pregame traditions and a harsh reminder that for all our wishing, the pandemic has not yet gone away. The sight of the eagle swooping into Jordan-Hare Stadium is the visual image of the fight song promise that Auburn will be “fearless and true,” and it’s tough to replicate.

Saturday though, on a warm September afternoon on the Plains, where life almost felt normal save for the lack of tailgates outside and the stretches of empty steel seats inside, Seth Williams, the Auburn wide receiver from Cottondale, did his best.

The junior hauled in 6 passes for 112 yards and 2 incredible, timely touchdowns, which saw Williams (6-3, 211) use his NFL prototype frame and astounding athleticism to soar above Kentucky defenders and score.

On the first touchdown, which came on 3rd-and-goal with the game very much in doubt, quarterback Bo Nix was hurried by a terrific Kentucky front and, to his credit, stayed in the pocket, something he probably would not have done a season ago. Nix threw off his back foot toward a well-covered Williams in the end zone, who delivered for his quarterback, snatching the ball as it started its descent and a Kentucky defender closed fast.

It was the type of play Williams made a season ago, when he was Auburn’s best wide receiver and playmaker but, even after catching 59 passes for 830 yards and 8 touchdowns, was often left out of discussions about the SEC’s best receivers. The league featured 3 first-round NFL Draft picks at the position and Biletnikoff Award winner Ja’Marr Chase (LSU), so Williams never took that personally. He did, however, go to work.

“I worked hard this offseason (with Bo Nix). I wanted to get better at setting people up on routes and attacking the ball. That’s what I knew I had to improve and focus on,” Williams told the media last week.

If Williams’ first touchdown showed his ability to stay in his route and attack the ball, even when safeties closed to help, his second touchdown showed why his athleticism makes him such a matchup nightmare for opponents.

Too fast for even SEC safeties, Williams is simply too physical and too good a leaper to be handled 1-on-1 on the boundary by the bulk of college football’s corners. The combination of speed, hands and leaping ability makes Seth Williams a problem most SEC defenses simply won’t have an answer for, no matter how they scheme.

With great coverage on the second touchdown, all Kentucky corner Kelvin Joseph (who you might have heard of) can do after this play is put his hands on his hips and shake his head.

The key to any great quarterback and wide receiver combo, whether it’s Tua and Jeudy, Burrow and Chase, Fromm and Ridley or Nix and Williams, is trust. Saturday, both of Williams’s touchdowns were a sign of Nix’s trust that “Soaring Seth” will make plays when Auburn needs them most.

“All offseason, we practiced and practiced,” Nix said of his connection with Williams. “We’ve got a bunch of connections, just throws and catches together, and obviously that kind of came in clutch today. Seth is always a guy that will go up and make a catch for you.”

Williams’ play has not only impressed his coaches, it had old teammates, including blossoming NFL playmaker Darius Slayton, chiming in on Twitter:

Those are the types of plays that have Williams rocketing up NFL draft boards. Williams started the year in the middle rounds on most NFL Mock Drafts, but that appears set to change — and quickly — in 2020. The NFL, more than ever, is a tight throws in tight spaces passing league, and Williams’ ability to “attack the ball” and “rebound” in traffic separates him from other prospects. Combine that leaping ability with his 4.45 40 time and you have a bona fide first-round prospect.

For now though, Williams is happy to play his part in replicating Auburn’s war eagle, the fearless wide receiver who will fight for every football. Williams has always been consistent, but he appears poised to be truly spectacular. With Nix also improving and the trust between them at an all-time high, what a difference that could make for Auburn in 2020.

We’ve only seen a week of football, but whatever your reaction to Mike Leach and Mississippi State’s win in Baton Rouge, one thing is very clear about LSU. As well as they’ve recruited, it’s difficult asking anyone, even the defending national champion, to weather the loss of so many starters and stars. LSU’s search to find itself in 2020 leaves the door very much open for another program to step in and challenge Alabama. Say what you will of the Gus Malzahn era, but there’s been no SEC program better at consistently competing with Nick Saban’s juggernaut than the one in the loveliest little village on the Plains.

To compete for championships, you need to win tight games. To win tight football games against well-coached teams like the one Auburn played last Saturday, you need players who are fearless and make big plays at the biggest moments. Seth Wiliams is that type of difference-maker, the guy who soars above defense, raising Auburn’s ceiling with every astounding leap.