Growing pains: Don’t give up on Bo Nix after humbling Florida loss
Florida made Auburn freshman quarterback Bo Nix look like a freshman.
Florida has beaten eight of the last 10 top-10 teams they played after their win over No. 7 Auburn in The Swamp. The Gators looked a lot better than many wanted to give them credit for. Auburn was a favorite going into Gainesville but was never in a position where it looked like they were in control vs. Florida. A big part of Florida’s win was because of their suffocating defense and a couple of big plays on offense. Meanwhile, Auburn’s offense couldn’t get anything going as freshman quarterback Bo Nix had the worst game of his short college career.
Nix was 11-of-27 for 27 with 145 yards and three interceptions in the 24-13 loss to Florida.
He will be better and learn from this game, but this was a game he’d like to forget. Watching the game tape of his performance will be akin to watching The Babadook, Halloween or The Nightmare on Elm Street. It’s spooky season, but that was a horror movie Nix put on film.
It’s to be expected after all. Even five-star recruits struggle. The Swamp is one of the toughest environments to play for even the most veteran and accomplished quarterbacks. Nix had never seen an environment that could compare. Forget about Kyle Field when Auburn rolled Texas A&M. The home of the 12th Man can be loud, but it pales in comparison to The Swamp. On this day, The Swamp showed Nix just how far he has to grow.
The good thing is he’s young and can make big leaps in his progress with each week.
The bad thing is Auburn can’t be patient and allow Nix to work through his growing pains. Not with the schedule they have that will see them play Georgia and Alabama later this year. This could be just the start of Nix’s baptism by fire in the SEC. Few teams can start a freshman quarterback and avoid these types of games. Auburn football fans are smart and should know Nix would encounter some struggles. But what happened against Auburn was cringe-worthy.
Nix missed wide-open receivers, had three interceptions and took some awful sacks, including one that resulted in a 22-yard loss on a crucial possession.
Bottom line: Nix didn’t give his team a chance to win the game. If not for Auburn’s defense making their own plays and forcing turnovers that kept the game close in score, Auburn could have been shutout. It was that bad.
No, Gus Malzahn will not be quick to pull Nix and insert Joey Gatewood in the starting lineup or even work him in on random possessions for a different look. Nix has to be better and he will.
If we’ve learned anything from the iconic 80s sitcom Growing Pains, Auburn fans should not waste another minute on their cryin’. They’re nowhere near the end. Nowhere near. The best is ready to begin. As long as they got each other. They got the world spinnin’ right in their hands. Baby, rain, or shine, all the time. They got each other, sharin’ the laughter and love.
But you can’t hide a shaky freshman quarterback when you play in the SEC. Auburn proved that today with a disappointing performance that could signal the beginning of a second-half swoon.
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