Auburn’s Bo Nix quiets his haters with impressive showing vs. Kentucky
By John Buhler
Bo Nix has forced his haters quiet after a strong showing in the SEC opener.
Overlooked and doubted, Auburn football’s Bo Nix played great vs. Kentucky.
The true sophomore quarterback for the Auburn Tigers was the difference-maker in his team’s season-opening victory over the Kentucky Wildcats. He may take a lot of flak for being a legacy quarterback, but Nix is proving he’s not just a good Auburn quarterback, he might be a good SEC quarterback. If he didn’t play well on Saturday, Auburn might be 0-1 with a home defeat already.
Perhaps Bo Nix will be a reason Auburn football contends in the SEC West?
Nix completed 16-of-27 passes for 233 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, averaging a solid 8.3 yards per pass attempt. He also had five carries for 34 yards, as well as two punts for 77 yards, pinning the Kentucky offense inside of its own 20-yard line on both occasions. Beating Kentucky at home was not easy, but a poor quarterback performance was have ruined Auburn.
Though Nix was named Preseason All-SEC Third Team by the coaches, he didn’t get the same love by the SEC media, as the third-team spot went to Mac Jones of the rival Alabama Crimson Tide. While both aren’t in the same vicinity as Kyle Trask of the Florida Gators or Kellen Mond of the Texas A&M Aggies, the No. 3 spot in the SEC quarterbacking hierarchy is totally up for grabs.
Saturday was one of those games that Nix and the Auburn team will be able to build on. Kentucky is a middle-of-the-pack SEC East team. Though they may only go 5-5 this season, there was a reason so many people picked the Wildcats to upset the Tigers down on The Plains. Nix took that blatant disrespect and let it fuel him a big win for the home team.
It remains to be seen where Auburn will land in the SEC West hierarchy. Will they emerge as the most formidable challenger to Alabama in the division or will they fall back to middle-of-the-pack below the likes of the LSU Tigers and Texas A&M? Regardless, it seems that head coach Gus Malzahn has a ton of faith in his second-year starting quarterback, which is fantastic for Auburn.
Auburn must take this momentum with them to upset the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens next week.
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