By Carter Byrd
Last week, I made a case for something new with Auburn’s quarterback situation. Up to that point, Auburn fans had seen plenty of the Bo Nix we had seen through 2 1/3 seasons.
Meanwhile, Auburn’s new transfer quarterback TJ Finley defibrillated a stagnant and pulse-less Auburn offense and brought the Tigers back from the brink of catastrophic failure to escape against Georgia State. In my mind, the LSU transfer deserved the opportunity to show the college football world what he was made of and his development over the last year.
However, as it turns out, Saturday was Bo Nix’s chance to show off. We actually did see something new. He used his legs. He found his tight ends, but it was the rhythm the quarterback found that we had not seen to this point.
Over his first two seasons, Nix had displayed elite athleticism at the quarterback position. He can run. He can buy time. Hell, he even back squatted Texas A&M’s 325-pound Bobby Brown III before making the rest of the defense look foolish on the way to a ridiculous touchdown run in 2020.
However, through four games this season, Nix was playing with a different style. He was making a concerted effort to sit in the pocket more and make reads in his progression. He was slower to run—too much so—essentially eliminating his raw athleticism from his game.
But Saturday? Saturday, we saw a glimpse of what Nix looks like when you effectively piece together the puzzle—when you combine athleticism with decision making and scheme. We saw a new layer to the onion that is Bo Nix.
He was decisive. He was accurate. He delivered the ball quickly and confidently, which frustrated the LSU defense and negated a lot of the LSU defensive line’s pressure. Even when the pressure leaked through the Auburn offensive line, Nix had LSU’s defensive line chasing their tails in the backfield.
And…Nix did this all night. Everyone will remember his scramble from sideline to sideline, making five LSU defenders tackle nothing but air before delivering a strike to the end zone to Tyler Fromm to get Auburn on the board, but Nix did this all game long.
There are a handful of plays where Nix made multiple defenders look straight-up stupid. Yes, he had some help. His coordinator, Mike Bobo, seemed to find a rhythm with his quarterback—timing up his play calls exactly when they would succeed. His tight end, John Samuel Shenker, had 102 receiving yards. Yes, Auburn fans—you read that right.
AN AUBURN TIGHT END HAD A 100-YARD GAME. Welcome to the Upside Down. By the way, the last 100-yard receiving game by an Auburn tight end came in 1994—when the quarterback was none other than Patrick Nix.
After his Manziel-ian performance, all I can sit and say is, “I was wrong.” I did not see this coming. I did not know this young man had this in him.
One thing is clear; this is something you can build on. This was who we thought Bo Nix could be. Sure, there is plenty of room to grow, and this staff will ensure that he will undoubtedly continue his development.
The only hesitation I have is not with Bo Nix. It is with the Auburn fan base. On Saturday, the Auburn offense will take the field against the most talented defensive roster in recent college football history. Georgia is big, physical and fast. Bo Nix may not be able to put their defensive line in a blender all game like a week ago.
Do I know If Auburn can score with this Georgia defense? No. Do I know if the Auburn offensive line will look like a sieve with Nix running for his life like 2020? No, but I believe this team is better prepared for the task at hand.
My fear is that if the offense struggles against this formidable defense, the fan base will jump right off that Bo Nix bandwagon that it so quickly climbed aboard this past Saturday after a brief respite at Finley Station.
All I do know is that Bo Nix is focused. He is having fun, and finally—FINALLY—he looks comfortable in this offense and seems to have improved. Only time will tell how much he has improved, but the fan base needs to accept that this Bo Nix is—and will be—at the wheel on this journey. There may be bumps in the road, but the guy everyone saw own the moment in a night game in Death Valley is the guy who can allow this team to reach its final destination.
Carter – well said. I do think the fans need to back both guys and the coaches need to consider playing both guys every now and again. It keeps everyone on their toes and improving.