Bo Nix knows how valuable his ability to run is for Oregon's offense

Since Week 1, the Oregon offense has hit its stride to lead the team to a 6-1 record and a No. 8 ranking in the country. Plus, they’re in the driver’s seat of the Pac-12 race with an undefeated record in conference play so far and having just beat UCLA, 45-30, this past weekend. The Ducks are soaring and all behind exceptional play at quarterback.

Senior Auburn transfer Bo Nix needed several weeks to get up to speed in Eugene. But he’s been a dual-threat menace as of late. Over the last three games, Nix racked up 262 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground. Which included a 141-yard rushing performance vs. Stanford, followed by three touchdowns on the ground in the win over Arizona.

According to Nix, that scrambling ability isn’t going anywhere. Now that he has learned how to use it as a weapon, he’s leaning into it. Here he was after the Bruins victory, explaining why his running ability is so important to the offense:

“Yeah, I think it’s just another thing for a defense to have to defend. And when those guys in the front lines got to come to make the tackle on me, it just leaves guys open. And we’ve also done a really good job with scramble drills so far. We’ve created some explosive plays. And then at the same time, when I take off running, we’ve done a great job of blocking downfield. We almost had a good third down extension, third-and-long, which was really good for us.

“So, all that kind of stuff is just carrying over. And it’s, I mean, we’re all playing good football, right now. Receivers are playing great, tight ends are playing great, running backs around the ball. Well, lines obviously are stabler. That we can get behind and do whatever we want. Then, my job is easy. Just getting the ball into their hands.”

Bo Nix also answered on if he’s got a good sense of when to run vs. when not to out of a drop-back.

“Yeah, and to be honest, it’s all situational. I think that in certain situations, when I have to take off, I’m running no matter what. And then, other situations, I just have a good feeling. Obviously, there’s times I don’t make the right decision. I mean, I miss the receiver or could have run one or I threw an interception. But I think that is just a part of my game that’s tough to stop. And I don’t have to do it a whole lot, but just whenever I do it, it’s just tough.”