First came wide receiver Nick Mardner, wearing cream-colored Beats by Dre earbuds and his orange Auburn warmup shirt. Cornerback J.D. Rhym was next, hood over his head, taking the field to get ready for his first game of the season. Neither he nor Mardner had played this season due to injuries. But here they were, back and ready to play now in the third game of the year.

Auburn’s top corner Nehemiah Pritchett hadn’t played in either of Auburn’s first two games either. He was close last week against Cal, and hopeful again as he warmed up in pads. Linebacker Larry Nixon III, who had previously picked up an injury, looked ready to play. So too did linebacker Jalen McLeod and offensive lineman Kam Stutts.

Only cornerback Donovan Kaufman and linebacker Austin Keys took the field wearing street clothes before the game — signaling they would not play. And largely, those were expected absences with Kaufman evaluated for a concussion last week and Keys still coming back from thumb surgery.

So it seemed Auburn was finally getting close to full health after two games of working players into the lineup.

Then the game against Samford started.

“It was a tough night for us,” Freeze said of Auburn’s injuries during the Samford game.

First came Pritchett, who after looking like he might be able to play, went back into the locker room and changed out of his pads and back in sweatpants. It’s exactly what happened a week ago against Cal, too. He appears to be dealing with an ankle injury picked up before the first game of the year.

Then McLeod got hurt in the first half after starting the game. Freeze said Stutts got hurt and didn’t return after the first series. Offensive tackle Izavion Miller appeared to suffer a leg injury during the first half and he tried to warm up for the second half but never returned. Luke Deal was hurt in the game, too.

The offensive line injuries led to the most extended playing time guard Jaden Muskrat has seen since transferring to Auburn from Tulsa this offseason.

But the most notable injury may have been to cornerback Keionte Scott.

It wasn’t immediately clear where Scott was hurt, but he went to the locker room early in the first half. The next time he was seen, he was out of uniform and appeared to wear a boot on his right foot.

Scott’s injury coupled with Pritchett’s meant Auburn would be without two of its three starting cornerbacks. Kaufman had been one of Auburn’s best secondary pieces, too.

Suddenly, the secondary which may be Auburn’s best unit, was incredibly thin. In terms of options defensive coordinator Ron Roberts could truly rely on, Auburn was down to really only D.J. James, Kayin Lee, Caleb Wooden and J.D. Rhym in terms of cornerbacks.

Lee, just a true freshman, started in place of Pritchett in what has been an impressive first three games. He had four tackles including one for loss against Samford. Wooden led Auburn with six tackles.

Other inexperienced faces like Sylvester Smith and Terrance Love also provided impactful play in a beat-up secondary.

And yet Auburn’s defense didn’t seem to have any sort of drop-off. After three games, Auburn leads the SEC in passing yards allowed. Safety Jaylin Simpson’s three interceptions are tied for the most in the nation. Auburn has the No. 14 total defense in the nation and No. 18 scoring defense in the nation by the end of Week 3.

Scott’s absence was felt more immediately on special teams. He is Auburn’s top punt returner, and without him, Auburn went to wide receivers Ja’Varrius Johnson and Jay Fair. Johnson muffed a punt but was able to recover his. Fair missed a punt and Samford fell on it.

Scott has previously had issued with dropped punts, but focused hard on improving there over the offseason whereas punt returns may not have been a similar priority for Johnson and Fair.

Freeze said Johnson was hurt during the game, too. That’s why Fair was in as a punt returner in the second half.

“We’ve got to get healthy before next week, hopefully,” Freeze said.

Auburn’s linebacker group is one Freeze has frequently commented on how it has dealt with injuries, too.

After Keys got hurt, Nixon picked up an injury on the same hand he previously had wrist surgery on. He played through it against Samford. Injuries have given the playing time Eugene Asante has thrived in and emerged as a star on Auburn’s defense.

Auburn’s players believe it is a testament to the depth built on that side of the ball

SEC play comes next, and much of Auburn’s depth is inexperienced. For as well as Auburn’s defense has played so far this season, the biggest tests are still yet to come.

“There’s no dropoff,” Nixon said. “We have some good players on our team. I can really appreciate that. Just looking forward to seeing what the younger guys can do as well. Us as a defense, we’ve gotta get better.”

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at [email protected]