AUBURN | A year ago, Bo Nix was preparing to play Clay-Chalkville in the semifinals as Pinson Valley marched toward its second consecutive Class 6A state championship.
Much has changed since. Nix graduated high school six months early, enrolled at Auburn, went through winter workouts, competed with three other quarterbacks during spring drills, won a three-quarterback race during preseason practice and started all of Auburn’s first 11 games of the season.
To say Nix has been on the fast track the last 12 months is putting it lightly.
“I think it’s overall, just understanding of our offense. Having a better feel for his teammates. Just all of the above,” said Auburn coach Gus Malzahn of Nix’s progress. “He’s learned this year against the toughest defenses probably in all of college football, like we talked about with the schedule. And this is another one. That really helps your learning curve. It accelerates learning. I think he’s got a good command of our offense and the personnel he has around him.”
Nix, the son of Pinson Valley coach and former Auburn quarterback Pat Nix, had a storybook start to his college career becoming the first true freshman to start an Auburn season opener since Travis Tidwell in 1946 and throwing the game-winning touchdown pass to Seth Williams with nine seconds remaining to beat Oregon 27-21.
There’s been plenty of highs and lows since. He threw for 335 yards against Mississippi State a week before a three-interception game in a loss at Florida. He completed just 42.8 percent of his passes in a loss at LSU before throwing for 340 yards in a win over Ole Miss. He threw two fourth-quarter touchdowns in a furious rally against Georgia two weeks ago but came up short on the final two drives in a 21-14 loss.
“He grew a lot. You can see it from the first game to this game, he’s grown a lot,” Williams said. “After the Florida loss, you’ve seen some things change. He grew as a person more, and grew as a player more. You can see he studies even more and studies even harder and everything. He doesn’t want, like, those feelings like that, it’s bad. It’s hard on him and his team. So he’s grown a lot as a player.”
Nix said his biggest growth has come with understanding and adjusting to sophisticated college defenses that try to confuse and rattle quarterbacks before and after the snap.
“In college defenses move around a lot more than high school and they show you a lot of different looks,” Nix said. “As I have gone I have been able to see those different looks and relate it to what I watched on film and then kind of put it together and compare it. That part has helped me. When I’m playing my best I’m seeing what they’re doing and I’m able to control that.”
You can also see Nix’s growth in his stats. He hasn’t thrown an interception since the LSU game. That’s 135 consecutive passes without a pick. He’s already set the Auburn freshman record with 185 pass completions, is tied with Stan White with 14 touchdown passes and is 49 yards shy of White’s freshman passing record of 2,242 yards.
Overall, Nix has completed 185 of 321 passes (57.6 percent) for 2,193 yards with 14 touchdowns and six interceptions. He’s also rushed for 257 yards and six touchdowns on 85 carries.
“I think that says a lot about his decision-making,” said Malzahn of Nix’s lack of interceptions. “Protecting the football, I think, is the No. 1 thing, especially when you’re playing in big games. It allows you to call plays and trust the quarterback that we’re not going to turn it over. That’s probably the biggest thing. That is very impressive, especially for a young quarterback for the defenses that he’s went against.
Nix’s next test is a big one. He’ll lead No. 15 Auburn against No. 5 Alabama in the 84th Iron Bowl. It’s a game his father came off the bench to help win in dramatic fashion in 1993, and then started in a 94 loss and a 95 win.
“I'm pumped. I'm probably as excited as anybody,” said Nix of playing in his first Iron Bowl. “Obviously growing up, you watch all these games — the Kick Six and all that — you just want to be in a game like that. There's a lot riding on this game, two great teams. It'll be fun.”
Kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS.
