Bo Nix aces season's first test with record-setting performance

Bo Nix aces season's first test with record-setting performanceBo Nix aces season's first test with record-setting performance
Shanna Lockwood/AU Athletics

AUBURN, Ala. – Making his 25th career start at Auburn, quarterback Bo Nix did something he's never done Saturday. He completed 90 percent of his passes (20 of 22), setting the Auburn record for highest completion percentage (90.9) in a game with a minimum of 20 attempts. His previous high was 76.7 percent set last year against Ole Miss. 

Nix completed his first pass to Shedrick Jackson for seven yards, then connected with Jackson again for nine yards. On the next drive, he found John Samuel Shenker and Tank Bigsby on back-to-back plays. The junior quarterback completed 11 straight passes before throwing his first incompletion midway through the second quarter. 

"Our guys did a great job of getting open today," Nix said. "Our coaches put us in a great situation to succeed. Our game plan was good for what they were doing on defense. As a team, I feel like the whole offense kind of contributed to that. It was definitely not just me."

Nix played a little over two quarters in Saturday's 60-10 win over Akron and threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns. The Tigers scored touchdowns on six of his seven drives, and the only drive that didn't finish in the end zone was at the end of the first half when Nix ran the two-minute offense and helped set up a last-second field goal from Anders Carlson. 


Had Nix played a full game, he might have surpassed his father's record of passing yards in a season opener (392). Still, he earned some bragging rights as he moved past his father in career passing yards and is now seventh in program history with 5,232 yards. 

But for a player who had his fair share of critics in the offseason, Nix could not have responded any better Saturday in his first game with new head coach Bryan Harsin. 

"I thought he had fun," Harsin said after the game. "It was good, he had a smile on his face, he had good energy out there, he was executing well. So all the work that he's been putting in – he's a dedicated player – he got a chance to show some of that tonight. Now we can build from that going to the next game and hopefully continue with that type of decision-making and that type of execution. He knows what kind of work it takes to do that. 

"I'm proud of him. It was good to just watch him operate tonight, to see him handle all the things thrown at him. I thought Coach (Mike) Bobo and the offensive staff did a good job of having these guys prepared and ready."

The numbers from Saturday were obviously impressive for Nix, who added 32 yards rushing on three carries, but for Harsin, it went beyond that. He saw leadership from Nix, presence in the huddle, poise on the two-minute drive – all the things you want from your quarterback.

It was no different after the game. When the offense struggles, Nix takes the blame a lot of times. But Saturday, when it was clicking, he was quick to credit those around him. 


Asked what was working so well in the first half when the offense scored touchdowns on its first five drives, Nix responded with, "That question is easy because it was up front." 

"We started running the ball really well early, and that opened up everything else," he added. "The (offensive line) kind of had their way tonight – protection, run game, all that stuff. They communicated great. We didn't really have busts. We didn't really have many penalties, if any. Those guys did a really good job up front, and those guys, with all the experience they have, they're just going to continue to get better."
 
Nix passed his first test of 2021 with flying colors. The next test comes Saturday at home against Alabama State, and then the biggest challenge to date will come in two weeks when the Tigers travel to Penn State. 

"There's a lot that goes into it, a lot of hard work," Nix said. "I'm excited to move forward and go into Week 2 and carry the momentum that we have."