Bo knows? 3 questions Auburn quarterback Bo Nix must answer this season
Not much was known about how Bo Nix would adjust to college football in August 2019.
Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn had just named the then-true freshman as his starting quarterback, and a marquee matchup with Oregon was on the horizon. Nix had never taken a college snap.
Almost a year later, much more is known about the sophomore signal caller. There are plenty of reasons for optimism, but plenty of areas in which Nix could improve.
If there is a college football season this fall, Auburn is scheduled to kick off at home against Alcorn State on Sept. 5. Here are three questions for Bo Nix beforehand.
How will he look with a new offensive coordinator?
A lot of Nix’s success in 2019 can likely be attributed to his familiarity with Malzahn’s offense.
He didn’t run Auburn’s exact offense at Pinson Valley. But his father, Patrick Nix, now the head coach at local Central-Phenix City, ran an offense similar to Malzahn’s.
Not much is known regarding just how different the offense will look in 2020, with new offensive coordinator Chad Morris calling the plays.
Morris served as the offensive coordinator at Clemson from 2011-14, before taking over as the head coach at SMU in 2015. His success at Clemson — a 41-11 record, two Orange Bowl appearances and a 2011 ACC title — provides plenty of reasons for optimism.
There are also reasons to temper expectations. In two years as the head coach at Arkansas, Morris won just four games, going 4-18 before being fired in November 2019.
The Razorbacks lost to San Jose State and were blown out by Western Kentucky — both at home — in Morris’ final season.
Morris’ Clemson offenses were some of the best nationally, and the transformation of former Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd into one of the best in the ACC was evident early in his stint with the Tigers.
If Nix can play anywhere near the level of Boyd during his time in Morris’ offense, the Tigers will be more than OK this fall.
How involved will he be in the running game?
Malzahn’s and Morris’ offenses worked best with a dynamic, dual-threat quarterback at the helm.
Nix ran for 313 yards last season on 97 attempts, an average of just 3.3 per rush. (Seventeen of those official rushing attempts where sacks.) He did rip off a long of 30 yards, and added seven touchdowns — including one against Georgia, the first rushing score the Bulldogs conceded in 2019.
Given the massive question mark at running back, more may fall on Nix’s shoulders this fall.
Can he become more consistent in year 2?
Nix passed for more than 2,500 yards and 16 touchdowns, nearly led a comeback against Georgia and won an Iron Bowl in his first year of college football.
The next step for him as a sophomore is to become more consistent, specifically on the road.
Nix threw for 1,964 yards and 10 touchdowns in home games in 2019 compared to 587 yards and six touchdowns on the road. His completion percentage dropped by nearly 10% on the road, and four of his six interceptions came away from Jordan-Hare Stadium.
There’s plenty of reason for optimism surrounding Auburn’s signal caller. If Nix can improve his consistency — and if Morris’ offense is anywhere near what it was at Clemson — good things could be on the horizon on the Plains.
