Dan Lanning: Bo Nix delivered Heisman-worthy performance vs. USC

There isn’t a standout in the Heisman Trophy race this season. However, Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning believes his quarterback, Bo Nix, should be in the race.

In particular, Lanning feels that Nix deserves to be in the Heisman Trophy race because of his phenomenal performance against USC on Saturday night.

“It was fun to sit out there and watch two elite quarterbacks battle it out,” Dan Lanning said. “Obviously, we’ve got a really special one on our sideline. I think that’s a Heisman-worthy performance from Bo and fun to do it in front of the fifth-largest crowd ever here in Autzen Stadium.”

Bo Nix finished the game with 23 of 31 pass attempts completed for 412 yards and four touchdowns. At one point, he completed his first two passes, both of which went for touchdowns. This came after Heisman odds from before the game saw Nix surge to as high as +200 to win the coveted award.

Dan Lanning still needs to go back and watch the film, but what immediately jumped out to him was just how consistent Bo Nix was Saturday night.

“I’ll have to go back and watch the film. Just his consistency. To not punt the ball in the first half, I think speaks to his efficiency. Not all of that was necessarily throwing the ball, it’s him, again, getting us into the right run check. Him checking us into proper plays, just being efficient with the ball. I’ll have to go back and watch it to see if there were any plays that stuck out in particular.”

Oregon ended up winning the game 36-27 over USC. With that, the Ducks moved into an excellent position to try and avenge their loss to Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

Bo Nix has shown NFL scouts 2022 season was not a fluke

During his time at Auburn, Bo Nix was an up-and-down player. However, upon transferring to Oregon, he took off as a quarterback. Now, he’s shown that 2022 wasn’t a fluke to NFL scouts. Jim Nagy of the Senior Bowl explained.

“He went out to Oregon, he shed a lot of bad habits that he developed while he was at Auburn. But now, it’s Year Two. You’re seeing some consistency in his play. It wasn’t just a one-year spike. And it’s not like he’s leveled off. He continues to get better and better,” Nagy said.

“He’s done everything he needs to do. He’s won from inside the pocket, he’s made plays outside the pocket — which he has always done. But I think it’s the work inside the pocket and I heard Dan Lanning make a comment like ‘Bo doesn’t get enough credit for getting us in and out of enough plays and not worrying about his stats.’ So, just his command of that offense and another year of showing these NFL scouts like ‘Listen, last year wasn’t a fluke. Here are the strides I’ve made.’ So, there’s a ton to like on Bo’s tape this year.”