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Nix ‘made good decisions’

AUBURN | It wasn’t spectacular but Bo Nix was efficient and led the first-team offense on two touchdown drives in Auburn’s A-Day game Saturday.

More importantly, the junior took a first step in running a new offense under head coach Bryan Harsin and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo.

“He made good decisions,” said Harsin. “We’ve seen Bo’s got escapability, and we know he can throw it, but I thought he made good decisions. He checked the ball down. We had some deeper throws that were called, but they weren’t open, so he checked it down and found the underneath throw.

Harsin looks on as Nix throws a pass during the A-Day game.
Harsin looks on as Nix throws a pass during the A-Day game. (Robin Conn/AuburnSports.com)

“He made good decisions in the red zone; there were chances to possibly scramble and throw one, but he pulled it down and ran it and was able to get us in a first-down situation.”

Nix comes into this season with two years of SEC starting experience. The son of a former college and current high school coach, Nix fits perfectly in an offense that asks him to make key decisions, before and after the snap.

“I think that the offense that we’re in now allows me to be kind of multiple and allows me to do certain things with the football,” Nix said. “It allows me to be in a position to make choices and stuff and it gives me a lot of reads and a lot of progressions, and so, with that being said, I think that it’s kind of easier to go through progressions and make decisions and just put my guys in great situations.”

Nix finished the A-Day game 12 of 20 for 112 yards and a 4-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Canion. He also rushed 29 yards on five carries. He was 10 of 13 in the first half and two of his incompletions were dropped passes.

Harsin believes the production and the points will come as the players around Nix, particularly a young group of wide receivers, become better accustomed to the offense and start executing more efficiently.

“Guys around him got to be able to make plays, and there’s some opportunities that we could’ve done that, and we ran some wrong routes,” Harsin said. “And he’s got the beat on where he wants to go with the ball and we didn’t run the right route.

“Nobody sees that from the stands. We know it as coaches and we know it as players and you’re not quite sure what’s happening but there was some poor execution in those areas and he was able to just move on. He moved on to the next play. That one didn’t go well? He moved onto the next play we convert a second or third down and move the ball and we’re able to score.”

Auburn will hold its final practice of the spring on Monday.

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