Auburn football: Quan Bray named SEC special teams player of the week

AUBURN, Ala. — Quan Bray had one of the best outings of his Auburn career Saturday, scoring three touchdowns, which was highlighted by a 76-yard punt return in the final quarter. On Monday, the Southeastern Conference honored his efforts by naming him the league's special teams player of the week.

It's the first time Bray, a senior, has ever won one of the SEC's weekly awards. He becomes the third Tiger to garner one of the awards this year. Josh Holsey's captured the defensive player of the week award following his 11-tackle outing versus Kansas State while Daniel Carlson was named the freshman of the week for his performance in the opener against Arkansas.

But this week, the focus is on Bray.

"I thought it was one of the best all-around games he's had. Obviously the two touchdown catches were great, but he's become a great punt returner for us, which is huge," offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said Sunday. "It really lifted our team."

Bray is averaging 36.8 yards per punt return this season, which leads the FBS.

Lashlee just hopes Saturday isn't remembered only for Bray's trio of touchdowns.

"It wasn't like he just had three great plays," the coach said. "He graded out and played well the whole game and that's what we need from him because he's a pretty explosive player. He's got a lot of things he does well."

This story was originally published September 29, 2014 at 7:34 PM.