Bo Nix ‘best friends’ with Auburn run game

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Bo Nix ‘best friends’ with Auburn run game

Today 10:13 AM

5-6 minutes

No matter how talented the freshman, when a team is led by a true freshman quarterback, it approaches the game differently.

After each game Auburn has won, coach Gus Malzahn comments on how much Bo Nix has grown and reminds people that he still has improving to do as he adjusts.

Malzahn has had to keep that balance in mind himself as he game plans, prepares his players and coaches them through games.

“You’ve got to kinda put yourself in their shoes a little bit; they’ve got to be confident,” Malzahn said. “There’s that fine line between making sure they’re ready, when to get on them and when not.”

Malzahn said he has to be more patient than if he had a first year starting quarterback who had spent time as a backup for the team.

He clearly exercised that patience in Auburn’s season-opener. Nix struggled against Oregon’s defense and threw two interceptions, yet he remained in.

The patience paid off. Nix recovered to lead Auburn on a winning touchdown drive in the final seconds of the game. Auburn’s upcoming opponent, Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead, watched that drive and described Nix as “cool as the other side of the pillow.”

Since then Nix hasn’t committed a single turnover, and he’s shown more daring as he runs the offense. During the second half of the Tulane game, he started to keep the ball and run with it. Against Texas A&M, he increased his number of carries to 12.

Now that he’s established himself as a dual-threat quarterback, it’s opened up the running game, which is good because the running game should be Nix’s “best friend,” Malzahn said.

“I think it’s real important,” Malzahn said. “I think that’s his best friend, you know, if you’re able to run the football … I think obviously the better we can run the football, which we have improved. We were just OK at first and I think we’ve got potential to keep improving. Him keeping it has a lot to do with that too.”

Auburn has always relied on the running game to be successful, but it’s been especially dominant in the offense this season. Over four games, the Tigers have accumulated 1,038 rushing yards to 656 receiving yards. They have almost double the number of rush attempts to pass attempts.

Auburn has not had more rushing yards than receiving yards since 2016 when it finished the season with 3,527 rushing yards compared to 2,203 receiving yards.

When the running game faltered against Texas A&M, the offensive line stepped up in the second half to help the running backs — and its freshman quarterback — out.

“We knew that, being all fifth-years, this was our time that we had to come together and kind of put the team on our back and help out a true freshman quarterback and balance it up a little bit,” right tackle Jack Driscoll said. “We felt like that was our time to shine and kind of just put it on our backs.”

There’s still time for the stats to even out for Auburn, especially now that its receiving corps is getting back to full health, but Malzahn said Auburn will stay committed to the running game.

If the offensive line and the running backs aren’t able to get it done, Nix also has another very formidable group at his back: Auburn’s defense.

The defense, which is holding opponents to an average of just 89.5 rushing yards per game, has bought the offense time by shutting down opposing offenses until Auburn found its rhythm.

“Characteristics of good teams is they compliment each other so there’s going to be a time that the offense is going to have to help the defense out,” Malzahn said. “We’ve got veteran guys and they know we’ve got a freshman quarterback. But he is improving and like I said before, I think he’ll continue to improve.”

Heading into the season, as the quarterback battle waged, the defense was prepared for the possibility that it might have to carry the team through some games, defensive tackle Derrick Brown said. Even if Nix hadn’t won, Joey Gatewood would have been a redshirt freshman leading the team.

“We knew we were going to have a young quarterback either way it goes,” Brown said. “We knew as a defense, you know, that we might be out there for more snaps. But it's not entirely bad. Obviously, our offense can do a pretty good job. It's one of those things where you've just got to just go with the situation.”

Everyone, from the defense to the receivers to the coaches to the backup quarterback, have expressed their belief in Nix and his ability to lead the team. And that’s the most important thing, Malzahn said.

“More than anything for a true freshman, whoever is the play caller or the coordinator, you’ve got to have great relationships,” Malzahn said. “I think that’s the No. 1 thing for a young quarterback, just to know that we’re with you. Yes, you’re going to make mistakes. So what? Don’t make the same mistake twice. We believe in you.