Bryan Harsin evaluates play of Auburn quarterback Bo Nix

Auburn quarterback Bo Nix might have been benched in Week 4 against Georgia State, but he bounced back with a big performance in the Tigers’ win at LSU on Saturday. In the win, Nix was 23-of-44 for 255 yards and a touchdown. He was also the game’s leading rusher with 74 yards and a score on 12 carries.

Nix’s strong day resulted in the SEC naming him one of three of the conference’s Players of the Week for Week 5. Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin spoke about Nix’s bounce-back performance on Monday.

“His ability to scramble, we saw it. He is very elusive and did a great job in that game,” Harsin said of Nix. “That’s not how the play is drawn up, but there’s going to be things that guys are going to do in games where they go and make plays. And that’s exactly what he did. There’s some structure to it where guys have a chance to get open and try to find the open area. But we like to be able to set our feet, we like to be able to get the ball out of our hand. Sometimes the defense has a lot to say with that. And they did, they provided some pressure.

“But Bo made some great plays. He got out of some tough situations and made things happen on some fourth downs. He ran the ball well when he needed to. There was a couple designed runs in there, but he ran the ball well, he made plays with his feet when he had to. And I thought when he got a chance when we protected well, he could get the ball out of his hands and threw the ball well. We had some drops in there that we have got to make those catches.”

Nix, Auburn face a tough matchup against Georgia in Week 6

After Nix showed off his ability to extend plays and create with his feet, he might have to do more of that in Week 6 when Auburn hosts one of the best defensive teams in college football in Georgia.

Harsin said that Nix’s ability to use his feet is a nice luxury, but ideally the team can protect him a little bit better while maintaining the dangerous threat he poses on the ground.

“So, moving forward there were some good things from that standpoint,” Harsin said. “But you look at him and the guy can make plays and he did. But that’s not how you want to draw everything up but there is that ability. So, you continue to work those things, they happen in practice. And then hopefully we can capitalize on some of those plays in games. We want to put the plan together where he can go out there and just operate, play quarterback. Then when things do break down, be able to go make some really good decisions and some plays if that’s possible.”

Auburn and Georgia kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.