As the season moves along for Bo Nix and the No. 12 Auburn Tigers, progression and learning from mistakes has been a key for the team.
The true freshman has struggled at times but then has quickly been able to respond and put up numbers
Nix started his season off with a comeback victory against Oregon, becoming a hero on campus. Nix led the way in a victory against Texas A&M but was quickly met with adversity just two weeks later when he completed only 11 passes and threw three interceptions against Florida.
Nix responded to the criticism in Auburn’s next matchup when he completed 12-of-17 passes and totaled four touchdowns on the day against Arkansas. But again, Nix and the Tigers took on LSU in Baton Rouge where Nix was only able to complete 15-of-35 passes for 157 yards. He followed that up with what head coach Gus Malzahn is calling his best performance when Nix completed 30-of-44 passes for 340 yards at home against Ole Miss.
Nix also felt like it was one of his better games.
“I felt like I played pretty good,” Nix said. “I hit some throws, I hit some deep throws and really got in a rhythm and was effective from that standpoint.”
In the biggest home game of his collegiate career, Auburn will look for Nix to continue to play similar to his Ole Miss game as it takes on No. 4 Georgia and its defense which is statistically the best in the SEC.
Getting in a rhythm early against Georgia will be a key for Nix, who said that the team needs to start fast. Auburn will not only need to start fast, but it will also need to continue that pace as the team has consistently struggled in the second quarter.
For the true freshman, playing against Georgia is still a surreal feeling.
“At the beginning of the week when I started watching video I realized that I’m actually playing Georgia on Saturday,” Nix said. “Growing up that’s what I always wanted to do, I grew up watching these games and how important they were. Seeing the really big games, seeing the incredible games between the two teams so I’m just looking forward to playing in it.”
With the highs come the lows as Nix has received a fair amount of criticism for his performances against LSU and Florida.
While impossible to fully avoid it, Nix says he tries to the criticism he receives as motivation.
“Obviously sometimes you’re gonna see it, someone’s gonna tell you about it, that’s gonna happen,” Nix said. “You can’t really hide from it completely but I’ve just tried to use it as a drive to play better. I’ve just tried to zone out of it and worry about the team, worry about what coaches are saying and just focus on winning the next game.”
Nix has been able to rely on his father, Patrick Nix, a former Auburn quarterback, to help him deal with the criticism and block it out.
“He’s been through it and he didn’t really have social media, so he’s taught me how to handle the criticism and just block it out and just not worry about it,” Nix said about his father’s advice. “He reminds me I’m here for a reason, so just play accordingly.”
Nix and the Tigers end the season with three straight home games against No. 4 Georgia, Samford and No. 5 Alabama. While some are asking whether Nix and the Tigers are trying to ruin another teams College Football Playoff chances, Nix is just focused on his team.
“We still have a lot left in front of us, a lot to play for; anything could happen,” Nix said. “We could find ourselves in a good situation by the end of the year.”
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