AUBURN | Something uniquely football is getting that first hard hit to wake a player up and get the juices flowing. Bo Nix is no stranger to that sensation. Yet, there is another way that Auburn coaches can get the quarterback into the motion of the game as well: running the ball.
"I think it definitely gets me in the flow of the game," Nix said.
The junior often uses his legs to escape pressure and create plays that border on magic, but the designed runs add an extra weapon to the Auburn offensive arsenal. This was especially true on the game-sealing drive against Arkansas in which Nix took a design draw to the left side, converting a big third down and, two plays later, took it 23 yards to the end zone for the touchdown.
Nix appreciates the fact that his coaches trust him in those situations.
"Later on in the game, after you've been hit, you know that kind of the game is coming down to the end, and it's really the time that you want the ball in your hands," he said. "Kind of just taking some time off the clock and knowing we want to go down and score."
It's a part of Nix's game that Mike Bobo has started to utilize more as the season has gone along and something the Tigers have needed to make up for the lack of yards gained by the running backs. His ability to both scramble and gain big yards on designed plays is an essential part of the offense, keeping the opponent guessing what Auburn will do next. And, as Nix said, it relieves some of the pressure off of Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter to carry the load.
"Now there's two weapons in the backfield that can run the ball," the quarterback said. "the more the season goes, hopefully, the more we'll just continue to progress and continue to use those skill sets that our backfield has."
Against Arkansas, Nix accounted for 42 of the Tigers' 135 rushing yards, with those coming on just five carries. If he can continue to be that effective while staying composed in the pocket and delivering the ball accurately to receivers, the Auburn offense will become hard to stop.
