New and improved Bo

[aubiefifty 17,488]

saturdaydownsouth.com

 

New and improved Bo Nix is just beginning to show what he can do

Dave Hooker | 21 hours ago

4-5 minutes

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Bo Nix’s performance against Akron is proof that an offensive system and coaching staff can make or break a quarterback.

A colleague that knew I was monitoring the Auburn game on Saturday asked me what’s going on with Nix. Just how is he playing so well? The statistics were daunting early in the 60-10 win over Akron. Those following online were a bit perplexed by Nix’s outstanding play.

“He doesn’t complete 70 percent of his passes in warmups,” my colleague said via email as Nix completed one pass after another.

Now, let’s clear something up. Nix did, indeed, complete over 70% of his passes in warmups last year. While I don’t have official documentation that is the case, I feel pretty confident that is the case.

Nix, however, has never been described as an accurate passer. He was the 10th of the 12 SEC quarterbacks rated in completion percentage last season, completing just 59.9% of his passes in actual games, but Nix caught much of the heat from Tiger fans. Auburn was a sinking ship and Nix was a popular choice to be deemed the anchor.

Former Auburn coach Gus Malzahn got a pass for much of his career thanks to his success as an offensive coordinator at Auburn when he and quarterback Cam Newton guided the Tigers to a national title and an undefeated season. The equity that Malzahn had built up finally ran out last season when he was fired. That came just in time for Nix. The junior needed a new start and, especially, a new coaching staff. Malzahn’s limited approach had become dated. Defenses had caught up. Malzahn couldn’t adjust.

Auburn turned to Bryan Harsin. His first job was to fix Nix. Harsin began that process by putting Nix in situations he could thrive in. With Harsin, Nix has been able to show off his ability to read passing progressions and passing lanes, which was never emphasized under Malzahn.

The Akron game was scheduled long before Harsin was named the head coach. He was fortunate to have the Zips for the opener and his first game. Harsin is trying to rebuild Nix’s confidence. What could be better than a matchup against Akron, which is expected to be among the worst teams in the FBS this season?

Nix took advantage. He only needed about a half to show what he could do. Nix completed 20-of-22 passes for 275 yards and 3 touchdowns. Harsin and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Bobo had Nix dialed in early as he completed his first 11 passes. Nix even set an Auburn record for the best completion percentage with at least 20 pass attempts. He completed 90.9% of his passes. That topped Jarrett Stidham’s previous high of 86.5%.

If you think Nix was just so good because Akron was so bad, think again. Nix was one of the highest-rated quarterbacks in the nation Saturday, according to Pro Football Focus.

To make Nix comfortable, Harsin and Bobo are making sure that Auburn has check-down options in place. The Tigers will often depend on tight end John Samuel Shenker in the passing game. The returning starter had 5 catches for 38 yards on Saturday. Shenker wasn’t the only tight end involved. The Tigers utilized multiple tight ends on several occasions, even 4 at Akron’s goal line. That versatility and depth will allow Auburn to be less predictable throughout the season. Auburn’s tight ends are also taught to play fullback.

Harsin wouldn’t have chosen such a path if he didn’t believe in Nix early. Harsin may have been alone in that assessment, but outside opinions don’t mean much once the season starts. After all of the volatility throughout Nix’s career at Auburn, Harsin has to rebuild Nix’s confidence and make football enjoyable again. The Tigers seemed to take a major step in that direction on Saturday.

“I thought he had fun,” Harsin said. “He was good. He had a smile on his face. He had good energy out there. He was executing well. So, all the work that he’s been putting in—he’s a dedicated player—he got a chance to show some of that tonight.

“Now we can build from that going to the next game and hopefully continue with that decision-making and that type of execution. He knows what kind of work it takes to do that. I’m proud of him. It was good to just watch him operate tonight, to see him handle all the things thrown at him. I thought Coach Bobo and the offensive staff did a good job.”

That’s something that hasn’t been said at Auburn in quite some time.

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Edited September 7, 2021 by aubiefifty

[aubiefifty 17,488]

Bo Nix aces season's first test with record-setting performance

Auburn University Athletics

4-5 minutes

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AUBURN, Ala. – Making his 25th career start at Auburn, quarterback Bo Nix did something he's never done Saturday. He completed 90 percent of his passes (20 of 22), setting the Auburn record for highest completion percentage (90.9) in a game with a minimum of 20 attempts. His previous high was 76.7 percent set last year against Ole Miss. 

Nix completed his first pass to Shedrick Jackson for seven yards, then connected with Jackson again for nine yards. On the next drive, he found John Samuel Shenker and Tank Bigsby on back-to-back plays. The junior quarterback completed 11 straight passes before throwing his first incompletion midway through the second quarter. 

"Our guys did a great job of getting open today," Nix said. "Our coaches put us in a great situation to succeed. Our game plan was good for what they were doing on defense. As a team, I feel like the whole offense kind of contributed to that. It was definitely not just me."

Nix played a little over two quarters in Saturday's 60-10 win over Akron and threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns. The Tigers scored touchdowns on six of his seven drives, and the only drive that didn't finish in the end zone was at the end of the first half when Nix ran the two-minute offense and helped set up a last-second field goal from Anders Carlson. 

Had Nix played a full game, he might have surpassed his father's record of passing yards in a season opener (392). Still, he earned some bragging rights as he moved past his father in career passing yards and is now seventh in program history with 5,232 yards. 

But for a player who had his fair share of critics in the offseason, Nix could not have responded any better Saturday in his first game with new head coach Bryan Harsin. 

"I thought he had fun," Harsin said after the game. "It was good, he had a smile on his face, he had good energy out there, he was executing well. So all the work that he's been putting in – he's a dedicated player – he got a chance to show some of that tonight. Now we can build from that going to the next game and hopefully continue with that type of decision-making and that type of execution. He knows what kind of work it takes to do that. 

"I'm proud of him. It was good to just watch him operate tonight, to see him handle all the things thrown at him. I thought Coach (Mike) Bobo and the offensive staff did a good job of having these guys prepared and ready."

The numbers from Saturday were obviously impressive for Nix, who added 32 yards rushing on three carries, but for Harsin, it went beyond that. He saw leadership from Nix, presence in the huddle, poise on the two-minute drive – all the things you want from your quarterback.

It was no different after the game. When the offense struggles, Nix takes the blame a lot of times. But Saturday, when it was clicking, he was quick to credit those around him. 

Asked what was working so well in the first half when the offense scored touchdowns on its first five drives, Nix responded with, "That question is easy because it was up front." 

"We started running the ball really well early, and that opened up everything else," he added. "The (offensive line) kind of had their way tonight – protection, run game, all that stuff. They communicated great. We didn't really have busts. We didn't really have many penalties, if any. Those guys did a really good job up front, and those guys, with all the experience they have, they're just going to continue to get better."

  Nix passed his first test of 2021 with flying colors. The next test comes Saturday at home against Alabama State, and then the biggest challenge to date will come in two weeks when the Tigers travel to Penn State. 

"There's a lot that goes into it, a lot of hard work," Nix said. "I'm excited to move forward and go into Week 2 and carry the momentum that we have."

[gravejd 3,281]

Great game plan by the coaches and great execution by the players. The offense is waaaaayyyyyy ahead of where i thought they would be for the first game. I think a lot of credit needs to go specifically to Jackson on the hot start Bo had. He made some really good catches to start the game and i think that helped Bo settle in and relax. And from there you just saw the comfort and confidence levels build.