AUBURN | Two games into the the 2019 season, Bo Nix has completed just 47.1 percent of his passes and is ranked 12th in the SEC with a 103.17 passer rating and 12th averaging 5.6 yards per attempt.
But Nix is also just a true freshman playing college football for the first time, and in his first start against a ranked Oregon team he connected with Seth Williams for the game-winning touchdown pass with nine seconds remaining.
He’ll start Auburn’s third game of the season Saturday against Kent State.
“You've got to patient, first of all. We knew that,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. “The good thing is, these first three games, really, are good for us. We're still learning about him. He's still learning about us. So, it's been a good time. This game will be the same way. Once wet get into conference play, things need to be pretty set.”
Not all college football programs are being so cautious with their true freshmen quarterbacks. North Carolina’s Sam Howell has completed 64.6 percent of his passes for 519 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in wins over South Carolina and Miami.
USC’s Kedon Slovis stepped in for an injured starter last weekend and threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Stanford, and South Carolina’s Ryan Hilinski did the same throwing for 282 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Charleston Southern.
Still, caution and patience remain Malzahn’s approach with Nix, along with the confidence that Nix won’t back down from the challenge of high-ranked conference opponents and he’ll eventually develop into a real difference-maker at the position.
“One thing I'll tell you is that he hasn't looked bright-eyed or shook or anything like that at any time. So that's the positive,” Malzahn said. “I really don't think the moment is going to be too big for him. I think he's going to be hard on himself and he'll keep improving. He's going to make some mistakes. He's a true freshman. That's just part of it. But we're glad he's our quarterback.”
Kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
