Nix’s confidence unshaken after Florida loss

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Bo Nix’s confidence unshaken after struggles against Florida

Posted Oct 15, 8:36 AM

 

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

Bo Nix didn’t let the worst performance of his young career linger.

After throwing three interceptions in a 24-13 loss to Florida in Week 6, Nix took the weekend to think on the game and then put it behind him. Auburn’s freshman quarterback’s confidence was unshaken, and he was ready to get back to work during the Tigers’ first off week.

"He's just got confidence,” wide receiver Will Hastings said. “You look at him, and the dude — he doesn't care. He knows he didn't have a good game, but he's like, 'You know what, forget it. Next game.' He's got confidence that we can run the table and beat everyone on the whole schedule. So, when you have a dude who's that confident — it's not even cocky, it's just straight confidence.

“He comes about it in the nicest way and he just thinks that we can beat anyone and everyone. So, when you have a dude like that, you're going to follow him into war. It's pretty cool being able to watch him being so young and be able to have that maturity and that confidence."

Nix struggled during the loss to the Gators, completing just 11-of-27 passes for 145 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions, including one in the red zone when the Tigers were in position to take the lead late in the third quarter. It was the first time since the first half of the season opener against Oregon that Nix threw an interception, and it was the first time all season that Nix — who was coming off his best game of the year a week earlier against Mississippi State — truly looked like a freshman quarterback.

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It was a learning experience for Nix, but for Malzahn as well, as the seventh-year Auburn coach had an opportunity to see how his five-star freshman responds to adversity.

“I think he’s got a chance to be really good,” Malzahn said. “He’s a competitor and he wants to be good. I think he’s a good leader.”

Although Nix had his issues against Florida, Malzahn said there was no consideration of making a change at the position. He also placed his quarterback’s struggles on himself as a coach, saying he needs to put Nix in better situations in the second half of the season.

That was one of the key objectives of the off week — figuring out how to simplify things offensively and make life easier for Nix within the scheme. Malzahn felt like it was a successful bye week for the team and that the Tigers accomplished everything they set out to do. For Nix in particular, that meant assessing his performance not just against Florida, but throughout the first six games of the season.

“He did just about like our team did; we woke up on Monday morning, that’s over with,” Malzahn said. “We’ve just got to get better. No matter if it was the good things about leading us back against a good Oregon team to win the game or having a tough game, you put it behind you. He’s done that. He’s determined to lead our team. We had a really good week of practice last week. I expect us to continue to get better and I expect us to play good football. He’s in that same boat.”

How Auburn can rebound from midseason loss to Florida

Auburn's loss to Florida was a tough one for the Tigers, but by no means did it derail their season.

The extra days of practice without a game allowed Nix to continue to work on his rapport with the Tigers’ now-healthy receiving corps; getting more touches for playmakers Anthony Schwartz and Seth Williams will be a focus down the stretch. Malzahn also gave the team 48 hours off as part of fall break, which Nix used to return home and decompress on Friday and Saturday before the team reconvened Sunday with its focus solely on Arkansas.

While Nix responded well in practice last week following the poor effort against Florida, whether that carries over into the second half of the season — beginning Saturday against Arkansas — remains to be seen. One thing seems certain, at least: The three-interception performance in The Swamp didn’t do much to shake Nix’s confidence.

“He's handled it well,” Hastings said. “… I just know he's re-energized, refueled and ready to go for the next portion of the season.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

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Hopefully the brain trust will set Nix up with some easy completions to start the game.