Nix, Auburn steal scene from Ole Miss QB Corral
AUBURN, Ala. – Bryan Harsin made a smart, gutsy choice in September when he benched struggling quarterback Bo Nix during the second half of Auburn’s victory over Georgia State. AU rallied behind backup TJ Finley to avoid an embarrassing loss that would have wrecked Harsin’s first season on the Plains.
Then Harsin made an equally wise move the following week: He handed the reins back to Nix.
Nix emerged from the benching a better quarterback. And in Auburn’s past two games, he’s showing signs of being the fivestar prospect who signed as one of the nation’s top recruits in Auburn’s 2019 class.
Nix outdueled Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral, a Heisman Trophy front-runner, in thenNo. 21 Auburn’s 31-20 victory over the then-ninth-ranked Rebels (6-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) last weekend at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Nix supplied one of the best performances of his career his last time out in a victory over Arkansas. Then Nix doubled down against Ole Miss, completing 22 of 30 passes for 276 yards and a touchdown. He added two rushing touchdowns.
“I just got my confidence back,” Nix said of his mentality after the Georgia State game, adding that he’s “playing with an edge” and embracing a “cutit-loose” mindset.
If Nix keeps this up, Auburn (6-2, 3-1) can reach the SEC championship game in Atlanta. Seriously. The Sugar Bowl remains in play, too.
Let’s drop this assumption that Alabama is sure to win the SEC West Division. We’ve seen enough weaknesses and sloppiness from Alabama in games against Texas A&M, Florida and Tennessee to know this Crimson Tide team, while very talented, is not one of Nick Saban’s unstoppable forces.
If Alabama wins out, it will reach Atlanta.
If Auburn wins out, it will
reach Atlanta.
I expected I’d type that sentence about Alabama at this juncture of the season.
That it also applies to Auburn, unranked in the preseason and picked to finish fifth in the SEC West, comes as a surprise.
Think the Iron Bowl will be any fun?
This victory was about much more than Nix, though.
Give Auburn’s defense a gold star for limiting one of the nation’s best offenses to a season low in points. Auburn’s pass rush made life hellish for Corral, who exited during the first quarter with a left ankle injury before returning before halftime.
Corral gritted out a 289-yard
performance, but he was far from his best.
Auburn’s defense made three fourth-down stops in the red zone during the second half, and Jaylin Simpson intercepted Corral’s fourth-quarter pass into the end zone to mark a fourth Rebels red-zone trip that resulted in no points.
Auburn linebacker Zakoby McClain powered the assault with 14 tackles.
And let’s not ignore Tank Bigsby, Auburn’s workhorse tailback who rushed for 140 yards.
But McClain and Bigsby are proven commodities.
Nix is the wild card who will determine the direction of the remainder of this season.
A third-year starter, Nix has been maddeningly inconsistent throughout his career. He will make a heroic play on one snap, then miss an easy throw on the next.
Even the Ole Miss performance was no joy ride. Nix faltered during Auburn’s scoreless third quarter, when he completed 4 of 9 passes.
Corral had a prime opportunity to assert himself as the man to beat for the Heisman. His left foot twisted to the left while Auburn’s Derick Hall got a hand on his leg during a pass attempt. Corral required attention for the injury, but he rushed back onto the field on Ole Miss’ ensuing drive.
The stage was set for Ole
Miss’ sensational quarterback to deliver a Heisman moment. Auburn played spoiler.
On a 4th-and-1 inside the red zone, Corral flicked an errant throw into the flat, ending a prime Rebels scoring opportunity after Auburn’s Demetris Robertson had muffed a punt return.
Later in the third quarter, Auburn’s Colby Wooden pressured Corral into an incompletion on a 4th-and-7 inside the red zone. Corral threw another fourthdown incompletion in the red zone late in the fourth quarter.
Auburn’s victory required a total team effort, and Nix outperforming one of the nation’s best quarterbacks tipped the scales in the Tigers’ direction.