In his sophomore season, Bo Nix will have his work cut out from the jump.

He and his Tigers offense open their 2020 campaign against a Kentucky defense particularly gifted in its secondary, where it returns four of five starters from a group that was second in all of college football in fewest passing yards allowed per game.

Auburn's coaching staff isn't going to overthink how to succeed with their quarterback in Game 1, however. They'll let Nix be Nix.

"We're going to play to his strengths and rely on him a lot," Gus Malzahn said.

What were the biggest advantages for Nix last season, exactly? He grew more comfortable delivering in the pocket as the year progressed, sure, but Auburn thinks he can be equally as dangerous for a defense when he's thinking on his feet and when plays break down.

"You look at last year, he created a lot of things on his own with the scrambles and all that and the decision-making," Malzahn said. "He is a run threat, too."

Nix's ability to break open the offense in any given play has been a focal point this offseason in working with offensive coordinator Chad Morris.

The QB said Morris "allows me to be myself" in the new system — and that starts with Nix's receivers and offensive weapons being in the right place and executing properly, even if that means knowing Nix's tendencies when he's escaping the pocket.

"A quarterback’s only as good as the guys around him," Nix said on a Zoom call with reporters Tuesday evening. "And so any quarterback looks really good if they can get other guys the ball and they're dynamic with it. So it's really going to be a whole team effort."

One of Morris' other goals was to make Auburn the "most explosive offense in the country." The Tigers were good in that department last season but not elite, ranking 30th in the country in long scrimmage plays of 30 yards or more.

Auburn expects a challenge in that regard, as well. Nix and Malzahn both explained that Kentucky is superb at keeping the lid on offenses by playing disciplined and not allowing receivers behind them.

"They’re where they’re supposed to be," Nix said. "They very rarely have coverage busts, which is extremely important in the back end to be ranked nationally like that, so just limiting those big plays, big explosive plays, they keep everything in front of them."

Auburn will need big-play ability from every spot on the offense against the 'Cats, including the running game working behind a retooled offensive line. But in terms of what the Tigers believe their ceiling can be in 2020 on Morris' side of the ball, everything comes back to Nix and their trust in him to take another step as a sophomore.

Obviously there were times during the gauntlet that was Nix's true freshman campaign where his decision-making wasn't the sharpest. He admittedly sank Auburn's offense, at times, in losses like the LSU and Florida games.

But every time Nix was hard on himself, Malzahn and the Tigers picked him back up, allowing for a vibrant feeling of self-assurance from the quarterback heading into his second season at the controls.

"I’d say I’m completely different from where I was last year at this time going into Oregon," Nix said. "I’ve grown a lot as a person, as a player, just on and off the field. I think that because of the growth that I’ve had, it’s made it a lot easier for me going into the season. I know what I’m looking for, I know how to react, I know what the practices are supposed to be at, I know the tempo they’re supposed to be at.

"It’s just literally all the little things that go into a week of preparation, just having done that already has made me really comfortable, and I feel like I’m really far ahead from where I was last year."

Nix's drive and perfectionist mentality (he told Morris his goal is to be the best quarterback to ever come through Auburn) doesn't go unnoticed by his coaches and teammates. Over the weekend, his peers voted him one of four team captains — and according to Malzahn, the underclassman received the second-most votes.

"That tells you that he's a team leader now," Malzahn said. "He's got a lot of confidence. I know him and Coach Morris have worked extremely hard together. He's excited."

Auburn opens the season Saturday morning against the Wildcats on SEC Network.

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