Bo Nix self-evaluates his season

[aubiefifty 18,230]

al.com

Bo Nix self-evaluates his season

Updated Dec 20, 2019;Posted Dec 20, 2019

4 minutes

Bo Nix is known for being hard on himself, but a few weeks after the regular season ended, he was able to look back and be pleased with how his freshman season went.

Obviously, there are some plays he wishes he could have back, but overall Nix feels like he’s grown a lot.

“I've taken care of the ball pretty well,” Nix said. “I've seen the defenses, I've learned different coverages and learned different things that I might not have seen in high school. That's always good moving forward.”

There was a big learning curve, but he handled it the best he could, and now Auburn has the chance to finish the season with 10 wins. The league must have felt the same way because Nix was awarded SEC Freshman of the Year, winning it over players like Georgia wide receiver George Pickens and LSU defensive back Derek Stingley. Nix set numerous freshman records at Auburn, including freshman touchdown passes (15) and passing yards (2,366), among others.

Neither the award nor the Iron Bowl win were enough to quiet the haters, Nix said, but he knows that he’ll always have his haters no matter what he accomplishes. Nix is more concerned with whether he satisfied his coaches, his teammates and himself.

Auburn’s lead receiver Seth Williams said he and Nix started out slow, but their rapport has grown through the season. Now, they’ve gotten to the point where they can anticipate what the other will do, and they’ve set the foundation for the next few years. Williams said they’ll only get better and better.

Williams sees room for improvement, but the things Nix needs to do to grow are things he’s already doing. He watches film, breaks down teams and continues to throw the ball.

“He texts us all the time, telling us to throw,” Williams said. “I know he text me all the time, telling me to throw.”

The main thing Nix needed to get better was experience. He’s always been someone who watches film, but that couldn’t replace actually going out there and facing the Floridas and Georgias and LSUs.

“It's completely different when you're on the field and when you're in control,” Nix said.

He had to learn to read different coverages, ones that high school teams never threw at him. It hasn’t been so much about the speed of the game for him. It’s been more about being able to read the coverages. The defenses try to trick him, disguising and moving people around, but he’s getting the hang of it.

“Someone always gives something away,” Nix said. “If you find that, you can tell where each piece of the puzzle is going to be.”

There were definitely struggles, namely the Florida game where Nix threw three interceptions and completed 11-of-27 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown. But Nix “never flinched,” coach Gus Malzahn said.

After the loss to the Gators, he was able to put together a streak of 165 consecutive passes without an interception. At home, he didn’t throw a single interception on any of his 137 pass attempts. And he capped off the season with a win in the most personal game of the year for Auburn, the Iron Bowl. It was a top-10 match-up, and Nix helped his team come out on top at the end of a grueling game.

It’s only year one, and Nix still has a bowl game and spring practice before he embarks on the 2020 season.

“He’s a real confident player going into this bowl and then next year,” Malzahn said. “I think he’s battle-tested too."

[bigbird 60,939]

UF was the only game where I think execution cost us the win

[AuburnTiger4Life 2,225]

2 hours ago, bigbird said:

UF was the only game where I think execution cost us the win

Agreed 

[saminbama 747]

A couple of passes in the fourth quarter against Thuga broke my heart.  Not saying they were Bo's fault.

[Auburn2Eugene 2,317]

Something interesting of note...

Seth Williams has 800 yards receiving currently. It isn't out of the realm of possibility he could break 200 vs Minnesota and become only our 3rd WR in over 100 years to ever gain 1,000 yards receiving in a season. 

Pretty sure it would have to be the best game he has ever had, but it is entirely possible. 

And as hard as I've been on Nix this season to achieve THAT with a true freshman would be remarkable. 

[Slammer1 409]

On 12/21/2019 at 10:04 AM, bigbird said:

UF was the only game where I think execution cost us the win

I agree but there were mitigating circumstances in my mind. It was pretty obvious to me the crowd noise had a definite affect on Bo's perfomance, something he had never experienced in High School. He is a winner and I look forward to watching him mature as a QB. I think he is going to give his ole man a run for his money😉!

WDE!!! BO