Frosh QBs in spotlight as Miss. St. visits No. 7 Auburn

A pair of true freshman quarterbacks could be in the spotlight when No. 7 Auburn hosts Mississippi on Saturday night in a Southeastern Conference clash at Auburn.

Bo Nix, of course, will start for the Tigers (4-0, 1-0 SEC) after engineering a crucial, 28-20 win over Texas A&M in last week’s conference opener.

The Bulldogs (3-1, 1-0 SEC) could start Garrett Shrader, who got his first start last week when Penn State graduate transfer Tommy Stevens was out with a shoulder injury. Shrader passed for 180 yards in the 28-13 win over Kentucky. Stevens’ availability for the Bulldogs’ first SEC road test is undetermined.

“I am not trying to be evasive with this answer, but it is a fluid situation,” coach Joe Moorhead said when asked about Stevens’ status, adding that if Stevens is not ready, Shrader would get the start.

Both teams likely will rely heavily on their ground games.

The Tigers have rushed for 660 yards their last two games and sealed their win over the Aggies with a punishing fourth-quarter drive that covered 69 yards and ate 6:01 off the clock with 11 runs on 12 plays. Running back JaTarvious Whitlow made up for his fumbling problems two weeks earlier (three total, two lost vs. Tulane) with 47 of his game total 67 yards coming on that series.

“I was really proud of the offense in the fourth quarter,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. “That touchdown drive. That really was the type of drive that you have to have to win on the road. I was real proud of our unit to be able to do that.”

The Bulldogs ran for 241 yards in their win over the Wildcats with Shrader netting 125 yards on 11 runs and running back Kylin Hill gaining 120 on 26 rushes.

“Kylin has done an unbelievable job with his preparation heading into the season both mentally and physically,” Moorhead said. “I think it’s as much mental as it is physical, where he can wear you down with his style of running, but a lot of that is the ‘will to,’ rather than the ‘skill to.'”

Auburn ended up rushing for 193 yards while holding Texas A&M to just 56 on the ground. That took the pressure off Nix to shoulder the offensive load. He averaged 28 pass attempts over Auburn’s first three games but threw only 20 times against the Aggies, completing 12 for an even 100 yards. He had one touchdown to receiver Seth Williams and a key third-down completion to Williams on that crucial fourth-quarter drive.

Moorhead actually tried to lure Nix to Penn State when he was offensive coordinator for the Nittany Lions.

“Bo kind of has some of that savvy that you don’t always see in a true freshman,” Moorhead said. “Part of it is his talent and the ability to beat you with his arm and his legs, and some is the experience beyond his years.”

The Bulldogs mashed the Tigers 23-9 at home last October, a defeat Malzahn has not forgotten.

“We left that thing, and they embarrassed us, as a team now,” Malzahn told reporters. “… It’s completely a new year, but at the same time, when you have experiences, whether you’re a player or coach, you remember. And we’ve got to respond.”

–Field Level Media