That, plus Ty Thompson’s presence as a five-star recruit waiting in the wings, no doubt led to some fan grumbling when Nix was chosen as the starter.

In retrospect, however, it’s clear that Oregon got very lucky when Nix chose Eugene over Oxford, Mississippi, and College Station, Texas. 

The Ducks’ first four games included one cupcake and three pretty stern tests.

Nix’s stats for the first month illustrate his productiveness: 95-132 passing (72%) with 10 TDs and three interceptions (two against top-ranked Georgia), plus 26 rushes for 122 yards (4.6 average).

Add to that a clutch late-game scoring drive to pull out the WSU win, and a clear picture of what the senior quarterback is capable of begins to emerge.

Auburn was down 14-5, and the senior Nix rallied the Tigers, directing them to a 22-14 victory over the hated Crimson Tide, saving Auburn’s undefeated season.

Patrick Nix finished his Auburn career as the school’s all-time leader in passing efficiency, notching a QB rating of 135.6 during his senior season in 1995.

Patrick began a 16-year college coaching career before switching to high school coaching.

Bo played for his dad at Pinson Valley High School, and became the most productive offensive player in Alabama high school history, with 161 touchdowns and 12,000+ yards of total offense.

However, the Tigers slipped significantly over the next two seasons. Nix was one scapegoat who caught the ire of some fans.

But the more rational reasons for  Auburn’s mediocrity were the coaching turmoil under now second-year head man Bryan Harsin, the continually changing offenses, and a downturn in recruiting.

Losing confidence in his head coach, in particular, was a major reason for Nix to transfer, and he noted that Oregon’s would be his fourth different offense, his third different head coach, and, of course, his second team. 

The Ducks would also give Nix a chance to win a conference championship, something that wasn’t likely to happen at Auburn with SEC rivals Alabama and Georgia, as well secure a possible playoff berth.

While a conference championship is still a possibility for Oregon, the situation on the Plains has gotten much worse in Nix’s absence.

A close win over San Jose State and a 41-12 drubbing at home to Penn State got Tiger fans stirred up.

(It must be pointed out that Auburn’s quarterback for that atrocious half of football was Robby Ashford, a transfer from Oregon, who went 12-18 passing for 127 yards.)

Nix, meanwhile, is doing just fine running the show for Oregon.

His performance against 12th-ranked BYU earned him Maxwell Award player of the week, the Rose Bowl Pac-12 player of the week, and the Senior Bowl offensive player of the week. 

“I’m excited about (playing for Oregon),” Nix said in a recent interview. “I’ve adapted to change well enough over time, and so I’ve really started to embrace the challenges where I’m at now, and I’m looking forward to moving on in the future.”

In coming to Oregon, Nix was also reunited with offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham. Dillingham, a young and widely respected offensive guru, served as the OC at Auburn during Nix’s freshman campaign.

In just his ninth year of coaching, Dillingham has progressed rapidly through the ranks, having worked for two years at ASU with Mike Norvell, whom he followed to Memphis.

In 2016, Dillingham was a grad assistant; in 2017, QB and TE coach; and in 2018 offensive coordinator. His Memphis offense ranked in the top five nationally.

Two more successful years as OC at Florida State followed for Dillingham, but when newly-hired Dan Lanning called, Dillingham saw the opportunity to return to the west coast and to resuscitate Oregon’s offense, which had grown stale under Mario Cristobal and a succession of OCs.

Nix’s accuracy on short, quick passes, his ability to run effectively, his decision-making, and his ball-handling ability make him well-suited for Dillingham’s offense.

It would seem that Nix has also won over Duck fans with his willingness to take a big hit to try to get a first down or a touchdown.