Cubelic on if Bo Nix has regressed

[aubiefifty 17,492]

Auburn Football

Cole Cubelic on if Bo Nix has regressed: Ever see QB where every play was ‘panic-induced?’

Updated Oct 19, 2020; Posted Oct 19, 2020

COLUMBIA, SC - OCTOBER 17: Bo Nix #10 of the Auburn Tigers tries to pass the ball as he is upended by Keir Thomas #5 of the South Carolina Gamecocks in the fourth quarter of the game at Williams-Brice Stadium on October 17, 2020 in Columbia, South Carolina. The Gamecocks won 30-22. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)Getty Images

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By Mark Heim | mheim@al.com

Auburn was facing third-and-15 from the 22 and needed a touchdown against South Carolina on Saturday. There were 33 seconds left, and Bo Nix was being pressured. In a moment of desperation, he tried to get rid of the ball before the sack. He was called for intentional grounding.

Then, on fourth-and-5 play from the 12-yard line with nine seconds remaining, Nix scrambled around to evade pressure and was tackled short of the first-down marker and even shorter than the end zone required for the win.

Auburn quarterback Bo Nix comes up short on 4th and 5 late against South Carolina on Saturday, Oct. 17.

The game was over. South Carolina 30, Auburn 22.

If those plays weren’t enough, the Auburn quarterback added three interceptions to the mix, providing short fields for the Gamecocks, who took advantage.

Is Nix regressing in his second year as the Auburn quarterback?

Cole Cubelic, SEC sideline reporter and former Auburn player, was asked that question on Monday during his weekly appearance on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5.

“I don’t know if he’s regressed, but I don’t know how much he’s progressed,” Cubelic said. “A lot of these issues were issues last year. I think some of them were excused by either the level of competition or him being a freshman quarterback. I don’t think he’s gone backward. This is the same stuff we saw last year. It’s more of an issue that he hasn’t gotten better.”

Nix completed 24 of 37 but a lot of Nix’s play Saturday was “hero ball” as Cubelic explained. He points to a lack of awareness.

“It’s about the responsibility of the position,” Cubelic said. "Understanding clock management, understanding the situation on the field, understanding the number of plays you’re going to have left, when to get rid of the football and when not to.

"It is inexcusable to be rolling out and knowing you’re going to get hit and probably get sacked and try to throw the ball away and get your team penalized when you are trying to put points on the board.

“It’s a lot of hero ball, a lot of backyard ball. It doesn’t feel very presidential, so to speak. It doesn’t feel like someone who understands the responsibility that goes with that position.”

What there needs to be, Cubelic said, is a moment of settling down, and it is a moment he hasn’t seen from Nix.

“Have you ever seen another quarterback that was great where every play was panic-induced?” he asked.

He pointed to Mike Vick and Johnny Manziel as scrambling quarterback who made something out of nothing but still had poise while doing it.

“There never seems to be a moment of calm with Bo Nix,” he said.

Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.

[gr82b4au 5,568]

I think Bo has admitted that the game is too fast right now. Maybe he needs to take a Xanax before he plays haha 

[McLoofus 35,182]

7 minutes ago, gr82b4au said:

I think Bo has admitted that the game is too fast right now. Maybe he needs to take a Xanax before he plays haha 

Either that or all of us can? 

[cctiger 572]

Simply a lack of development on the coaches part(and a terrible OL to boot).

[steeleagle 2,945]

2 minutes ago, cctiger said:

Simply a lack of development on the coaches part(and a terrible OL to boot).

Sorry, I don't buy that with Bo.

First he has a father who taught him how to play QB, who played QB, and coached QBs.

Second, Bo has gone to numerous QB camps in HS and before his last 2 years at Auburn to polish his QB skills, work on his weaknesses, and improving his mechanics(footwork, accuracy, etc).

Third, if you read the article, Cubelic makes some great points about that part of Bo that has to learn the mental part of the game. As he said Bo tends to have a lack of awareness and tries to do more athletically, than smartly as a QB. 

The last play of the game is an example. He has played enough QB all through HS, and now college, that as a QB, with no timeouts and needing a TD on the last play of the game, with 9 seconds left, that smartly he HAS to scramble if he has to, in order to get a pass off into the EZ to have a chance at a score. What does he do? He tucks the ball, and runs and never even tries to throw the ball. That's a  mental error. That's not on coaching. His last play of the Ark game, was a mental error. 

He has to manage the play better. He plays like an athlete playing QB, not as a QB playing QB. That's not something a coach can teach, which I feel he has been taught. 

[Barnacle 9,065]

Not progressing between year one and two is another way of saying that he's regressed. Think about it this way. Every day that he is not improving, is a day that his peers are passing him by.

[Amwest20 139]

There’s no doubt that Bo is a liability with the current offense we are attempting to run....he’s absolutely regressed....change the offense to a run 1st offense now.... I see that as the only viable option to both stop Bo’s regression and to save the season.  

[Howard Roark 195]

If you aren't moving forward, you are moving backward.  If Bo is the same as last year, he has regressed - regardless of whose fault it is.  

[CCTAU 3,369]

58 minutes ago, Barnacle said:

Not progressing between year one and two is another way of saying that he's regressed. Think about it this way. Every day that he is not improving, is a day that his peers are passing him by.

Normally that would be true. But when has he had time to progress? No spring. No summer workouts.  A new OC that only had maybe 6 weeks to install a new passing attack.

If you think a freshman QB should progress a great deal under those circumstances, you are not realistic. Starting a freshman QB rarely results in four great years. I guess some remember Stan White in a different light. Those first two years are going to have some ugly moments unless you have a great line supporting a superb running game. We aren't there yet either.

If Chad can't get the TEs involved in a short game, we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes.

Oddly enough, we all complained of some of the same issues with the last QB. As long as Gus is here, this is who we will be. 

For those of you saying, "just run the ball", that is hard to do against better opponents (not that USCe was better). Hopefully OLE Mrs. will give us some relief and allow the run game to be featured.  That should help Bo and the passing game out a bit.

[TigerOne 1,167]

He said a lot to say that he has regressed.

 

[TigerOne 1,167]

7 minutes ago, CCTAU said:

Normally that would be true. But when has he had time to progress? No spring. No summer workouts.  A new OC that only had maybe 6 weeks to install a new passing attack.

If you think a freshman QB should progress a great deal under those circumstances, you are not realistic. Starting a freshman QB rarely results in four great years. I guess some remember Stan White in a different light. Those first two years are going to have some ugly moments unless you have a great line supporting a superb running game. We aren't there yet either.

If Chad can't get the TEs involved in a short game, we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes.

Oddly enough, we all complained of some of the same issues with the last QB. As long as Gus is here, this is who we will be. 

For those of you saying, "just run the ball", that is hard to do against better opponents (not that USCe was better). Hopefully OLE Mrs. will give us some relief and allow the run game to be featured.  That should help Bo and the passing game out a bit.

The defense may be the key to the upcoming game. Auburn probably can’t win the game without making their punter be on the field a lot.

[gr82be 14,643]

This article from before the season, and a few others like it, were a bit premature or so it seems. He's not quite ready for prime time. 

 

Teammates have taken notice. Center Nick Brahms said Nix has communicated a lot more with the offensive line, identifying where pressure is going to come from and flipping protections, which he said is “a tribute his study habits on film and on the practice field.” Schwartz said the quarterback has communicated a lot more with the defense, too, letting friendly trash talk fly.

 

https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/sports/college/auburn/2020/09/08/auburn-football-bo-nix-more-confident-comfortable-leader-quarterback-chad-morris-offense-gus-malzahn/5719067002/

[EastAl_Tiger 228]

So....he's great against the practice Defense but freaks out in games? 

[TigerPAC 996]

11 minutes ago, EastAl_Tiger said:

So....he's great against the practice Defense but freaks out in games? 

yep because he only practices against 2nd and 3rd teamers.

[TigerOne 1,167]

1 hour ago, TigerPAC said:

yep because he only practices against 2nd and 3rd teamers.

Doesn’t say much about our defense if Steele and company can’t shut down our offense in practice. Whatever they do in practice aint carrying over to the game on either side.

[DAG 34,216]

The fact is he played with reckless abandonment in high school and it worked because he was more athletic than everybody . Guess what? He is not nearly as athletic as his competitors , so he cannot fall back on that. It takes a special kind of athleticism to dominate this game at this level. Bo is not that special from that standpoint. So he must find other ways to be dominant. I believe several of us pointed that out during his recruitment trail.

[Barnacle 9,065]

2 hours ago, CCTAU said:

Normally that would be true. But when has he had time to progress? No spring. No summer workouts.  A new OC that only had maybe 6 weeks to install a new passing attack.

I’ll grant you the part in bold. Everyone else is dealing with the same conditions. Moreover, the glaring issues that are carrying over from last season, as Cole pointed out, have nothing to do with scheme. Some of his contemporaries are making big leaps this season. 

[WarTim 3,463]

Bo has obviously been told not to take a sack EVER. Think about it......

[keesler 5,934]

3 hours ago, CCTAU said:

Normally that would be true. But when has he had time to progress? No spring. No summer workouts.  A new OC that only had maybe 6 weeks to install a new passing attack.

Every program dealt with pre-season restrictions.  We are now at a point where the new OC has had anywhere from 10-12 weeks to install his new passing attack.  He's even had 4 solid weeks of game film to tweek that passing attack.

The captain of that passing attack (Bo) crumbled in his last showing and appears to be digressing before our eyes.

[Tiger 8,841]

I think people would give more wiggle room for the lack of practice if he didn't look like several other QBs before him when it comes to looking like he's panicky.

Nick Marshall hasn't panicked a single day in his life but JJ, Stidham, and now Bo all are/were deer in the headlights. I'll say Sean White did not play panicky though, just limited in his physical gifts.

So, 3 of the last 4 QBs have looked like what we're seeing. Full spring and fall practice or no spring it's the same old story

 

[EagleEye67 1,948]

5 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

 

 

“I don’t know if he’s regressed, but I don’t know how much he’s progressed,”

This is the perfect journalist answer.   Like nailing Jello to a wall.

[Swamp Eagle 5,178]

6 hours ago, gr82b4au said:

I think Bo has admitted that the game is too fast right now. Maybe he needs to take a Xanax before he plays haha 

How about just bench his azz and give the next guy a shot? Yeah, let’s try that.

[aucanucktiger 1,818]

It's called the sophomore slump, happens all the time to even future hall of famers. They're following a solid frosh year but push too hard. Next story...

[tigerrules 517]

How many times have we had the same conversation about every QB since Nick Marshall?  

[DAG 34,216]

44 minutes ago, aucanucktiger said:

It's called the sophomore slump, happens all the time to even future hall of famers. They're following a solid frosh year but push too hard. Next story...

Despite him winning SEC freshman POTY. Bo did not have a solid year . He had an okay year for a freshman but he played horrible against actual quality teams. Yes, this includes our win against Bama.