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Auburn Football: How will the Bryan Harsin era begin?

By Payton Wilkerson

ORLANDO, FL - JANUARY 01: General view of Auburn Tigers helmets during the third quarter against the Northwestern Wildcats during the Vrbo Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium on January 1, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - JANUARY 01: General view of Auburn Tigers helmets during the third quarter against the Northwestern Wildcats during the Vrbo Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium on January 1, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Can Bo Nix finally put it all together?

Bo Nix had high expectations for his sophomore season from both the fans and the media. Some even suggested before the season began that he would be a top-5 quarterback.

However, he regressed slightly in 2020, throwing for 2,415 yards and just 12 touchdowns to seven interceptions. His QBR (quarterback rating) of 73.1 ranked him fifth in the SEC.

Nix has proven to be effective running the ball and has 14 career rushing touchdowns. He may need to rely on his legs more this season since Auburn football’s receivers this year will be young and inexperienced.

One thing Nix struggled with in 2020 was games away from Jordan-Hare Stadium. Six of his seven interceptions came on the road, and he only tossed three touchdown passes in Auburn’s five road games.

This year, Auburn will have big away games such as at Penn State, LSU, and Texas A&M. Nix cannot afford to play the way he did on the road last season against these or any team.

New offensive coordinator Mike Bobo is a veteran of the SEC and was the longtime OC at his alma mater Georgia. He worked with several quarterbacks in his time with UGA, such as David Greene, DJ Shockley, Matthew Stafford, and Aaron Murray, so Nix will be well-coached as the season goes on.

Roll out the Tank

Another Auburn football player to keep an eye on is Tank Bigsby. The freshman rushed for 834 yards last season and was named the top returning college running back by Pro Football Focus back in May:

"“Bigsby was one of the most impressive true freshmen of the 2020 class, finishing as the fifth-most valuable first-year non-quarterback in the country, per PFF Wins Above Average (WAA). For those who don’t know, running backs actually do matter in college football.” “The 2020 four-star recruit — who ranked 40th nationally, according to 247Sports — was easily among the most elusive ball carriers in college football last year. His strong contact balance was on full display as he came away with the fifth-most broken tackles per attempt (0.34) in the FBS.”"

Tank looks poised to be a major player in the Auburn offense in 2021. If he runs the ball well enough, he might get some Heisman attention.

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