Bryan Harsin discusses Bo Nix's improvement at Auburn

Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin has been pleased with junior quarterback Bo Nix through two games, and frankly, after two wins in which the Tigers strung together 60-plus points, it’s hard to blame him.

“He’s done a good job,” Harsin said of Nix in the SEC head coaches’ weekly teleconference. “He comes in, he works hard, he prepares, he’s around [and] he does what you want your quarterbacks to do: get themselves ready to go that week for the game, so he can go out there and play well. That has to happen every day at that position in order for us to have good practices. And he’s been doing that.”

Granted, Auburn has yet to play a powerful opponent, Nix early on appears ripe for the challenge. Through two games, he’s completed 74.4% of his passes, good for 383 yards, five passing touchdowns and no interceptions.

Perhaps Nix and his passing game aren’t the only reasons why Auburn defeated Akron, 60-10, then Alabama State, 62-0 and climbed its way to a No. 22 ranking in the AP top-25 poll. It’s been Auburn’s rushing attack that’s notched 680 yards and eight touchdowns heading into Week 3 — but still, Harsin praised his signal caller for the work he’s done in implementing a new offensive scheme.

“I think from when I’ve been with him, so far, I think footwork, mechanics, maturity — because he’s an older player now, he’s played in games and he has experience that way — [have improved],” Harsin said. “I think his leadership in operating a new offense and having to work through that [has stood out]. He had done a good job with that, and I think he and coach [Mike] Bobo work well together.”

Harsin arrived at Auburn late last season, after the Tigers opted to fire Gus Malzahn in his eighth year at the helm of the program. Malzahn amassed a 68-35 record at Auburn, and he was replaced by Harsin, who came from Boise State. In turn, Harsin inherited Malzahn’s final quarterback — Nix — and has implemented a new offensive scheme behind coordinator Mike Bobo.

“There’s still newness to a lot of the things that we do,” Harsin said.

This week, Nix and the Auburn Tigers will have their first real test: a visit to Penn State, where they’ll face the No. 10 Nittany Lions. Perhaps Nix has something to prove come Saturday.

“We had never traveled [before this week],” Harsin said. “We never had a game where we’ve traveled together. So, part of this week too is [about growth]. It’s about the game, and it’s about those factors, but it’s also about [off-field aspects].”