Auburn football: Bryan Harsin weighs in on the good and bad from Bo Mix’s spring game
Auburn football head coach Bryan Harsin had a lot to say about quarterback Bo Nix’s performance in the Spring Game on Saturday.
If Auburn football wants to find their feet quickly under new head coach Bryan Harsin, the Tigers need quarterback Bo Nix to turn a corner.
Harsin can point to some positive takeaways from A-Day on Saturday to suggest Nix is on the right path.
Nix went 12-of-20 for 112 yards and a touchdown through the air while rushing for 29 yards, but his stats weren’t what stood out.
“He made good decisions,” Harsin told reporters after the game, as reported by 247Sports. “We’ve seen Bo’s got escapability, and we know he can throw it, but I thought he made good decisions.”
Specifically, Harsin was pleased by how Nix checked down when his long throw options weren’t open. He also credited the quarterback for pulling it down and running when needed.
Bo Nix earned praise from new Auburn football head coach Bryan Harsin
It would seem Nix has a good understanding of offensive coordinator Mike Bobo’s system already. The head coach highlighted the way he made the right checks to get the offense in the right play.
Harsin was willing to let Nix off the hook for some of the mistakes the offense made during the spring game. What might have looked like bad throws or miscommunications on the part of the quarterback, he attributed to wide receivers running the wrong routes.
When that did happen, Nix didn’t let it get him down.
“Nobody sees that from the stands, we know it as coaches and we know it as players and you’re not quite sure what’s happening but there was some poor execution in those areas and he was able to just move on. He moved on to the next play,” Harsin said. “That one didn’t go well? He moved onto the next play we convert a second or third down and move the ball and we’re able to score.”
Of course, there will be time for Harsin to nitpick the performance after he takes a look at the tape. For the time being, he didn’t have much to complain about.
The junior quarterback has spent the last two years as a starter making plays with his legs but trailing where he needs to be as a passer and game manager.
He followed up his nine-win freshman campaign with a 6-5 record in 2020 while throwing just 12 touchdowns to seven interceptions. His quarterback rating for the season ranked ninth in the SEC.
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