THE GOOD
I stand by everything I have wrote about Bo Nix so far this season. He did not have many bright spots after LSU last season. He was bad in the first half against Alabama State, missed several key passes against Penn State, and was awful again last week for almost three quarters against Georgia State. I never questioned his heart or his character but I certainly questioned his ability to get the job done. I think the majority of Auburn nation and even the coaches were doing the same thing. This twenty-one year old kid was up against it and knew his whole career in some ways was on the line in the toughest place for Auburn to play. He knows better than us the limitations of his line and receivers and his own as well. He knew that every thing he had worked for nearly his entire life on the football field had come down to this game in this place...
This kid had all that on him and he turned in the game of his life. He had huge plays against Oregon his first season, he led routs against overwhelmed Mississippi State and LSU (last season) teams, and he was part of the biggest win in the last four seasons in the Iron Bowl in 2019 but THIS was his finest hour as an Auburn Tiger. In the face of overwhelming pressure, down 13-0 and 19-10 in a tough game where Auburn made plenty of mistakes Nix led Auburn to this streak-breaking signature win down in the bayou. Nix was the Auburn offense for most of the game as he scrambled to make play after play. The Auburn legacy and now legend finished the game 23 of 44 for 255 yards with a touchdown and NO interceptions. He also was Auburn's leading rusher with 74 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown. Frankly I think the only quarterback at Auburn I have seen play as well with that much stacked against him was Cam Newton.
Nix's sideline-to-sideline-elusive-duck-and-escape-scramble-and-throw to Tyler From for a touchdown on 4th down with Auburn down 13-0 will now go down in that "Hall of Fame" group of great Auburn plays joining his dad's throws against Bama and Florida. Also as a parent you have to feel a little choked up when you see Pat and Krista Nix in tears after the game. All I can say is congratulations and well done to Bo. I did not think he had that in him and frankly I would not have disagreed with starting T.J. Finley. It was an absolutely outstanding performance in the midst of almost overwhelming pressure. Unfortunately I believe there will be much more loss, hurt, and heartbreak waiting for Auburn and Bo Nix the rest of this season but even if that happens this game, this win still matters a whole lot. Auburn and Bo Nix desperately needed this win and they got it and it could pay huge dividends in the future.
On the other side of the ball, the comeback was just about as amazing. I definitely had my doubts about Nix but I had absolutely given up on the defense after LSU hit a touchdown pass on 2nd and goal from the 33 YARD LINE on their first drive. I lost it, I just lost it. That play after the awful pass defense against Penn State and the embarrassing first half last week was just too much. I thought it was over right then and there. I certainly did not change my mind after Auburn missed a field goal on a bad hold the next possession and then LSU drove it right back down the field. The Auburn defense did get a big sack and held LSU to a field goal but after LSU stopped Auburn and drove it down the field again I was wondering how much more I could watch. I mean how many more years are we cursed to see everything go to crap in that stadium?
I knew that sometime and at some point Auburn had to have something good happen to them in that awful place but I was already thinking that was wishful thinking for the next visit. Little did I know that break would come with LSU going for it on 4th and one and the Auburn three yard line... and then an LSU lineman moved prematurely. I believe if LSU makes that first down and then the inevitable touchdown then all Nix's heroics would have been in vain. I do not think Auburn wins this game without this lucky break. LSU was about to put this game away in the first quarter but were forced to kick a field goal after the procedure penalty. Auburn got that break and made the most of it as they drove the length of the field and scored on Nix's miracle play. This series of events not only got Auburn going offensively but finally, miraculously the Auburn defensive coaching and playing finally showed up.
The Auburn defense without their leader in Owen Pappoe and without senior defensive end T.D. Moultry rose up and only allowed two field goals the rest of the way. These guys played their butts off as did everyone on offense with Nix. Auburn is certainly not even close to the best team in the SEC but everyone on that field gave everything they had Saturday night and that is all you can ask of them. It definitely helped that LSU has become such a one-dimensional offense but they still have some good players including wide receiver Kayshon Boutte. He had almost 100 yards on their first drive but Auburn shut him down and severely slowed down quarterback Max Johnson after that. I loved the adjustment to crowd the line and not show who was rushing and who was dropping into coverage. That is how you play pass defense.
Finally props to the offensive line and wide receivers for hanging in there after some horrific mistakes and coming back with some big plays, Kobe Hudson I am definitely talking about you. The same goes to the running backs who just had no chances early on as LSU completely sold out to stop the run and made Auburn pass. THANK YOU coaches for not just continuing to try to run as the former coach did in that situation. Everyone hung in there and the Auburn running backs came up big in the end. Tank Bigsby had a five yard and an eleven yard run plus a six yard catch on Auburn's second touchdown drive to make it 19-17. The big blow finally came on Auburn's fourth quarter game-winning touchdown drive where super-freshman Jarquez Hunter busted a 44 yard run on a perfectly executed misdirection pitch play. The big guy then finished the drive off and the defense finished the game off with an interception.
THE BAD
Gus Malzahn's recruiting his last three years was horrendously bad in the trenches. I believe I have already mentioned this in every post so far this season and will continue to. Gus Malzahn and his staff's recruiting on the line has just decimated this team and this program. I do not care one bit what your recruiting class is ranked if it does not have elite linemen in it. I appreciate the guys out there working their butts off but Auburn simply has no championship talent on the lines and I think this point will be on full display next week against the #2 Georgia Bulldogs and it will continue to be evident the rest of this season and going forward unless this staff can bring some of these guys in. That is why this win was so big, again it gives the staff a signature to win and something to build on and hopefully they will use it to get some great linemen to come play on the plains. Sadly this truth was evident whether Auburn won or lost the game.
THE UGLY
Auburn is not alone and neither is Gene Chizik anymore. LSU is in trouble and I think this season might finish off Ed Orgeron two seasons removed from a national championship like Chizik. LSU has a surging Kentucky team up next followed by a desperate but still good Florida team, and then Ole Miss, Bama, and Texas A&M. I think the same thing about LSU I thought about Auburn, they win last night and they have a good chance in a few of those games but now all bets are off. The game last night was so important to both sets of Tigers. I thought the bottom might fall out for Auburn if they lost and again I think the same thing about LSU especially considering how one-dimensional they are on offense. It looks bad for the Bayou Bengals and Orgeron but I certainly will not be shedding any tears for them. I would sure love for Auburn to start a little streak against them.
THE LAST WORD
It will simply take a miracle for Auburn to have a chance next week. Frankly I just hope Auburn does not have any major injuries because the five games after next week are where Auburn's season will really be decided. Again I think Auburn has little chance against Georgia and Bama but they have good chances in the other games against Arkansas, the Mississippi schools, Texas A&M, and South Carolina. It would definitely be a mistake to think any of those schools cannot beat Auburn after some of the upsets yesterday. The Georgia State game showed what will happen to Auburn if they come out flat. One final note, the Auburn coaches better find a way to take some of the burden off Bo Nix because if he tries to run and scramble as much as he did last night next week and after we still might see a quarterback change.
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