OXFORD, Miss. – On Saturday, there were no sideline altercations between Bo Nix and Seth Williams. Instead, it was all smiles and fist bumps between the quarterback and wide receiver as they connected eight times for 150 yards to lead Auburn to a 35-28 victory over Ole Miss.
The biggest connection of the day came in the final minutes when Nix hooked up with Williams on a 58-yard touchdown pass that proved to be the game-winning score.
With Ole Miss playing a 2-man coverage, Nix threw a perfect back shoulder ball toward the sideline. Williams snagged it, turned around and took off toward the end zone. The safety over-pursued on the play, allowing Williams to get free, and fellow wide receiver Eli Stove made a key block downfield to help Williams score.
"I looked around to see what was around me, and I just saw the end zone," Williams said. "So I just kept running."
Clutch gene. 💯
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) October 24, 2020
"Bo and Seth, they've got a special bond," Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said. "With the game on the line, Bo has to throw it before the safety gets over. He threw a great back shoulder ball. You've got to throw it a little bit quicker than you normally would with 2-man, and it was executed to perfection. Seth kept his feet and house-called it."
That special bond was put into question by some last week after the South Carolina game when Williams caught just four passes on 14 targets. He finished with 74 yards receiving, but he and Nix looked out of sync at times during the game.
This week, the two could not have been more in sync. It looked more like the duo Auburn fans have grown accustomed to seeing over the last year-and-a-half.
"We had a little struggle last week, but we came this week with our mindset that we were going to refuse to lose, and that's what we did," Williams said.
In the first quarter, Nix sought out Williams on a 3rd-and-4, and Williams, running a slant, made a tough catch in traffic for the first down. On the next drive, with the Tigers facing 3rd-and-3, Nix found Williams again on a slant to convert another third down. Williams picked up 21 yards on the play, hurdling a defender before going down. Both drives resulted in Auburn touchdowns.
In the second half, Nix threw a jump ball to Williams at the goal line trusting his receiver would come down with it. Williams made the catch, picked up 38 yards, and Auburn scored on the next play.
Time after time in big spots, Nix looked to Williams. Four of the junior's eight receptions came on third down, converting all four for the first down. And with the game on the line, the two connected for maybe the biggest play of the season to this point.
It was clear last week's struggles were a distant memory in Saturday's victory.
"We're both competitors, and we both want to win," Nix said. "Any great quarterback and wide receiver duo, they have their discussions, and they have their times where they need to get certain things fixed. Me and Seth, as good as we are, we have those conversations to make sure each other is perfect. We came out today and just played with each other, and sure enough at the end of the day, I throw the ball to him and he makes a big play.
"There's no confidence lost in either of us. We both know that we're going to come out and play and play extremely well. You have games like last week, and then you also have responses like this week with two competitors like that."
For Williams, it was his fifth career 100-yard receiving game. He now ranks 10th among Auburn career leaders in receiving yards (1,788) and fifth all-time in receiving touchdowns (16).
Nix, a week after throwing three interceptions, completed 23 of 30 passes for 238 yards with the one touchdown to Williams. He threw zero interceptions. He also rushed for 52 yards on 10 carries and added a 4-yard touchdown early in the second quarter to give Auburn the lead.
"He responded like a champion," Malzahn said. "He came back, fought his tail off, and we protected the football. When you protect the football, especially on the road, you've got a real chance of winning. And we did that. It was a really good team effort."