Bad News For Ole Miss? Kiffin Weighs In On Auburn's Bo Nix
Remember when Auburn quarterback Bo Nix struggled to find consistency? Yeah, so does Lane Kiffin. Maybe that's the one that shows up at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday.
No. 9 Ole Miss (6-1, 3-1 SEC) will travel to The Plains this Saturday to take on the No. 18 Tigers with hopes of remaining ahead in the SEC West standings. Nix, who enters his third season as a starter, is a driving force for Auburn's hot start in 2021 under the direction of first-year head coach Bryan Harsin.
"It seems like he's more confident," Kiffin said Wednesday on the SEC conference call. "I think that whole 'play good at home, not good on the road' thing has gone away."
So much has changed for Nix since being benched in the Georgia State game earlier this season. That was the narrative that followed the junior for two seasons during his time as the team's starter under Gus Malzahn.
Part-time potential, full-time inconsistent.
Instead of talking over the benching that saw the birth of a new TJ Finley, Auburn fans speak of Nix as a hero. He helped the Tigers defeat LSU in Baton Rouge for the first time since 1997. In Fayetteville, Nix accumulated 344 yards of offense and three touchdowns to take down then-No. 17 Arkansas.
"Good for them," Kiffin said. "Not great for us."
Kiffin believes that the Auburn (5-2, 2-1 SEC) gunslinger has always had the knack of creating "unbelievable plays" as if it was nothing. Who else can remember his game-winning touchdown pass in 2019 over Oregon to begin a new era of War Eagle football?
The difference between that Nix and this version? Consistency. Nix now is extending plays. He's limiting his turnovers while upping his completion and passer rating.
The ability to adapt to Mike Bobo's offense with ease has been a blessing for Auburn's offense. Nix also is trusting his legs as a weapon instead of just an extra skillset. It's shown this season as some of his best plays have come from outside the pocket.
Anyone else remember the 5-yard touchdown run against LSU in Death Valley? The crowd went silent as Auburn inched closer towards the finish line and a victory.
Need more proof? Take a look at his 23-yard touchdown run with just over two minutes remaining against Arkansas to ice the game. That was after he had already thrown for 292 yards on the afternoon.
The Rebels' run defense remains a problem despite improvements in year two under coordinator DJ Durkin. Currently, they rank 13th among all SEC teams, allowing an average of 179.3 yards per game and 4.1 yards per play.
Nix is averaging 4.0 yards per run. Lead running back Tank Bigsby averages roughly 5.2. And secondary runner Jarquez Hunter? Try 8.6 yards per play.
Not great for Ole Miss, Lane? Certainly could be a factor away from Vaught-Hemingway to say the least.
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