Auburn QB Bo Nix: Players ‘are safer playing a football season’

The Auburn quarterback tweeted out his support for a 2020 college football season.

Count Bo Nix as one person who thinks a college football season should happen this fall.

On Monday evening, the Auburn quarterback took to Twitter to join in the We Want To Play movement that so many college football players and coaches have joined over the past 24 hours.

Many other stars of the game including Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields have shared the same message and hashtag. Alabama quarterback Mac Jones also joined in, tweeting out a message in support of having a college football season.

On Monday, it was reported that the Big Ten has decided to cancel its 2020 season while the Mountain West confirmed that its season was canceled.

25 Bold and Downright Insane Predictions for the Auburn, SEC Football Season

The 2020 college football season is already going to be weird so let’s predict some bold and insane things that could happen.

It is already going to be a weird season of college football, so let’s just go ahead and get crazy. Mascot-on-mascot violence? Sure. Coaches losing their minds? Absolutely. Gary Danielson not mentioning Alabama during a SEC on CBS broadcast? Well, we aren’t at that point yet, but I say we celebrate the upcoming season with a look at some things that could possibly but hardly likely to come true in 2020.

MORE: What Auburn’s SEC only 2020 football schedule could look like

Yes, it is that time again for some wackiness so let’s go ahead and list 25 bold and, some would say, downright insane predictions for both the Auburn and SEC football season. Ready? Ready.

  1. Bo Nix will release his much awaited debut rap album titled “Nix’in and Fix’in It.” He will forget to thank his five offensive lineman for their contributions to the album, especially the song “Blocking is Only For The Strong,” resulting in Nix being sacked a record 25 times against LSU.
  2. Also mad about not being included on Nix’s album, Seth Williams will start tipping passes into the air or, as they sometimes call it, the “Georgia secondary method.”
  3. Gus Malzahn will refuse to come out of his dressing room after accidentally being told that his beloved Dubble Bubble gum has been replaced with a cheaper knockoff.
  4. Auburn’s running backs will have no leg strength after doing nothing but leg lifts for six hours after new offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. insults “those puny calves that look like a baby.” Also, in this scenario, Bicknell talks like Hans and Franz from the old Saturday Night Live skit. Look it up, kids.
  5. In a moment of whimsy, Nick Saban will go for the lighter blonde hair coloring instead of the darker version … errr, not that he colors his hair or anything. All natural. 
  6. Struggling to put away Kentucky in Jordan-Hare Stadium, Malzahn will employ the secret Jared Harper package at quarterback with the actual Harper taking the snaps. The Wildcats will immediately melt down as the Tigers win by 28.
  7. Anthony Schwartz, feeling unchallenged in track, will challenge a live cheetah to a 100-yard dash. Sensing a predator in the area, the eagles will circle the stadium and attack the cheetah at precisely the same time, resulting in the worst massacre on the field since Brodie Croyle visited in 2006.
  8. Sensing the job security that usually comes with winning a national title, Ed Orgeron will decide to coach via Zoom from a remote island that will be undisclosed. It will turn out that he is actually just bathing in Mike the Tiger’s habitat. 
  9. Following the first victory of the season, Chad Morris will be seen hyperventilating beneath the stadium, overwhelmed by the accomplishment of winning a SEC game.
  10. The season ticket holders in Section 13 will sign a petition asking for the name of the section to be changed as 13 is an unlucky number. Auburn officials will perform the ultimate troll by renaming it Section 2020.
  11. In a moment of hysteria, Associate Athletic Director/Communications Kirk Sampson will announce that he and only he will be answering the media’s questions following games. He will then spend 15 minutes rambling about deep dish pizza. 
  12. Mike Leach and Lane Kiffin, forgetting that the Egg Bowl was to be played the next day, have to hire a private charter plane to get back to Mississippi from Key West where they were last seen closing down Flying Monkeys.
  13. Anders Carlson will mock Alabama by kicking field goals barefooted and blindfolded while drinking a cup of hot tea.
  14. Charles Barkley will show up in President Jay Gogue’s box and accidentally call him Dr. Leath. In a moment of irony, it will be Barkley that is thrown out a plate glass window.
  15. Texas A&M’s “12th Man” will be down to nine after three fall ill from a case of preseason hype. The only cure is a mixture of disappointing losses and telling Texas that its song sounds like hell.
  16. Dan Mullen will suddenly retire and take the job he was born to have: a salesman at a Mercedes dealership in South Florida. He WILL sell you on the platinum package, just a deal between you and him.
  17. Patrick Nix will break the record for most shots of a dad in the crowd, formerly held by Archie Manning.
  18. Tired of Auburn settling for a field goal after reaching the red zone, The Voice of the Auburn Tigers Andy Burcham will release a tirade that includes such dirty words as “shucks” and “dang.” 
  19. Listening to Gary Danielson call a game for the first time, Tua Tagovailoa will think, “Man, that man needs to shut up about me.”
  20. Smoke Monday will return an interception for a touchdown and then disappear into a literal cloud of smoke, landing him the starring role in the sequel to The Incredible Burt Wonderstone.
  21. Georgia will once again fail to win its first national title since 1980. This is neither bold or insane.
  22. Will Muschamp will finally snap for good, interrupting a game by punting the ball into the stands, sacking his own quarterback and escaping the scene via one of the cabooses parked outside the stadium. 
  23. Big Kat Bryant will be forced to change his name after Carole Baskin mistakes him for competition and orders a hit on him. Not that she would ever do that. (Wink! Wink!) Wow. Tiger King feels so long ago.
  24. The 2010 National Championship team will be welcomed back at halftime of the LSU game. Pete Thamel will immediately write that the ceremony is an insult to the game of football, nay, the entire world.
  25. Auburn fans will take a loss in measure, seeing that it is only a game and won’t flood message boards and radio call-in shows with “Gus needs to be fired and now!” rants and will definitely not spread rumors about Bob Stoops hiring a realtor in the area because a friend who knows a friend’s brother’s cousin heard it over drinks at The Hound. Nope. That won’t happen at all.

Two former QBs name Bo Nix as one of the breakout stars for 2020 season

The Auburn quarterback enters his sophomore season after starting all 13 games for the Tigers as a true freshman in 2019.

Bo Nix had a successful season as a true freshman in 2019, throwing for 2,542 yards and 16 touchdowns while rushing for seven more scores.

Even more is expected of him in his sophomore campaign and two former college quarterbacks, Matt Leinart and Brady Quinn, have picked the Auburn signal caller as one of their breakout players for the 2020 season.

Auburn fans are familiar with the work of Leinart who was the starter for the USC Trojans in 2003 when the Tigers met up with the Pac-12 team. He went on to win the Heisman Trophy in 2004, the year that Auburn was shut out of the BCS National Championship Game.

With the arrival of new offensive coordinator Chad Morris and his passing attack, Nix is expected to make major strides under center this season. Already a leader for the Tigers, he will need to improve on his 57.6 completion percentage while also dealing with a new offensive line.

Florida Gators quarterback Kyle Trask listed on Manning Award Watch List

Gators quarterback Kyle Trask continues to pick up the preseason accolades, as the redshirt senior was named to the Manning Award Watch List

Florida quarterback Kyle Trask continues to pick up the preseason accolades, as the redshirt senior was named to the Manning Award Watch List on Thursday, the Allstate Sugar Bowl announced.

The Manning Award is given annually to the top quarterback in the nation, but unlike other quarterback awards, it takes into account bowl performance in addition to regular season performance.

Trask was one of 12 finalists for the award last year after finishing with 25 touchdowns to seven interceptions and a 156.09 rating. He led one of the best passing offense at Florida this century and became the first UF passer to toss three or more touchdown passes in consecutive games.

He’s one of 30 players across the country named to the watch list, as well as one of three from the SEC, along with Auburn’s Bo Nix and Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond. The winner will be announced after the bowl season and will be voted on by a panel which includes national media members as well as every member of the Manning family.

[lawrence-related id=18990,18505,18335,18327,18186,15440,15138,13978]

[vertical-gallery id=15859]

Gators quarterback Kyle Trask listed on Maxwell Award Watch List

Florida quarterback Kyle Trask is one of 90 players on the preseason watch list for the Maxwell Award, the Maxwell Football Club announced.

Florida quarterback Kyle Trask is one of 90 players on the preseason watch list for the Maxwell Award, the Maxwell Football Club announced Friday. He’s the ninth UF player to be named to a postseason award watch list so far.

He joins 38 other signal-callers nationwide and four from the SEC on the watch list for the Maxwell Award, which is given annually to the nation’s most outstanding player. Mississippi State’s K.J. Costello, Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond, Georgia’s Jamie Newman and Auburn’s Bo Nix are also on the list.

Trask is coming off one of the best passing seasons by a Florida quarterback in the last two decades. After stepping in as the starter for an injured Feleipe Franks in the third game, Trask led the Gators to an 11-2 finish in 2019, throwing for 2,941 yards with 25 touchdown passes to just seven interceptions. He had a passer rating of 156.09, the ninth-best mark in school history and the highest since Tim Tebow achieved a 164.2 rating in 2009.

The 2020 Maxwell Award’s winner is set to be announced at The Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 10.

[lawrence-related id=18964,18958,18638,18641]

[vertical-gallery id=15859]

Gators quarterback Kyle Trask named to Davey O’Brien Award Watch List

Trask joins four other SEC passers on the watch list, which features 30 total players from across the country and four other SEC passers.

Florida quarterback Kyle Trask, who is getting considerable attention for a former high school backup heading into his redshirt senior season, has been named to the preseason watch list for the Davey O’Brien Award, given annually to the nation’s top quarterback, UF announced in a release Tuesday.

Trask became the starter in the third game of the 2019 regular season when incumbent Feleipe Franks suffered a season-ending ankle injury. Trask led the Gators to and 11-2 season, throwing 25 touchdowns to just seven interceptions and helming the best Florida passing offense in terms of yards per game since 2001.

Trask joins four other SEC passers (Auburn’s Bo Nix, Alabama’s Mac Jones, Georgia’s Jamie Newman and Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond) on the watch list, which features 30 total players from across the country.

The list of 30 will be trimmed to 16 on Nov. 10. That list of semifinalists will be cut to just three finalists two weeks later, with the award set to be announced on Dec. 10 at the Home Depot College Football Awards.

Here is the full watch list.

Kyle Trask, Florida

Hank Bachmeier, Boise State

Ian Book, Notre Dame

Alan Bowman, Texas Tech

Charlie Brewer, Baylor

Shane Buechele, SMU

Jack Coan, Wisconsin

Sean Clifford, Penn State

Dustin Crum, Kent State

Micale Cunningham, Louisville

Jayden Daniels, Arizona State

Sam Ehlinger, Texas

Justin Fields, Ohio State

Dillon Gabriel, UCF

Donald Hammond III, Air Force

Sam Howell, North Carolina

Mac Jones, Alabama

D’Eriq King, Miami

Trevor Lawrence, Clemson

Levi Lewis, Louisiana

Kellen Mond, Texas A&M

Tanner Morgan, Minnesota

Jamie Newman, Georgia

Bo Nix, Auburn

Brock Purdy, Iowa State

Chris Robison, Florida Atlantic

Spencer Sanders, Oklahoma State

Kedon Slovis, USC

Zac Thomas, Appalachian State

Brady White, Memphis

[lawrence-related id=18327,18230,18186,18167]

Top-three quarterbacks Georgia will face in 2020

Here is our list of the top-3 quarterbacks Georgia will face this season.

Georgia players arrived on campus this month after the SEC voted to allow student-athletes back on campus for voluntary workouts starting June 8.

There are still concerns for the 2020 college football season revolving around the impact of COVID-19, but as far as we know, all signs point to football being played this fall.

The Bulldogs are coming off a 12-2 season in 2019, where they secured their third-straight SEC East title and dominated Baylor in the Sugar Bowl. Not a bad resume whatsoever, but in most Georgia fans’ minds, without a playoff bid and a blowout loss to LSU in Atlanta, the season was a disappointment.

To reach the college football playoff this season and play for another championship, Georgia will have to make improvements on the offensive side of the ball – and they have. Credit Kirby Smart and the Georgia coaching staff for bringing in former NFL offensive coordinator Todd Monken, and signing Wake Forest transfer quarterback Jamie Newman.

Defensively, Georgia is once again in great hands. The Bulldogs return most players from the record-breaking 2019 unit that was ranked No. 1 in rush defense and No. 1 in scoring defense. That said, the SEC East was not exactly a hot bed for quarterback talent in 2019, and Georgia will be facing more experienced signal callers in 2020. Here are the top-3 SEC quarterbacks the Bulldogs will play this season.

1. Kyle TraskFlorida

2019 Stats: 66.9% passing for 2,941 yards, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions (63 carries for eight yards and four touchdowns).

Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Trask doesn’t take up much space in Georgia fans’ minds, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t. We all know how well Dan Mullen works with quarterbacks – Tebow, Prescott – so we should expect Trask to make better decisions in 2020 and Florida has plenty of talent to give the Bulldogs a game in Jacksonville.

Ranking the top SEC quarterbacks for 2020

The 2019 college football season has officially come and gone, and so are the SEC’s two-most polarizing quarterbacks, Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and LSU’s Joe Burrow. As we continue to work our way through the offseason, Roll Tide Wire decided to take …

The 2019 college football season has officially come and gone, and so are the SEC’s two-most polarizing quarterbacks, Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and LSU’s Joe Burrow.

As we continue to work our way through the offseason, Roll Tide Wire decided to take an early look at the top quarterback options returning (or arriving) to the SEC for the 2020 season, and then rank them.

This list can, and almost certainly will, change prior to the start of next season, but it’s a fun way to pass the time during a slow offseason.

14. Danny Clark, Vanderbilt

Danny Clark
Redshirt freshman quarterback Danny Clark makes a throw during practice Tuesday afternoon in Lexington. Uk Football Practice August 21 2018

There will be a quarterback battle in Nashville, but all signs point to former Kentucky backup Danny Clark, who was at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in 2019, being the guy.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound junior will have two years of eligibility left, but it remains to be seen if he’ll be able to hold off a trio of other quarterbacks, including dual-threat Michael Wright out of Atlanta (Ga.), for the starting job.

Big Ten Bowl Impact: Minnesota vs Auburn

We look back on the Outback Bowl between Minnesota and Auburn and see how it impacted both the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

With the 2019 college footballs season complete, we look back on how the Big Ten did in bowl games.

As we go through all the bowls, in no particular order, we will focus on two main things:

1. How did the bowl performance end the 2019 season? Was it a fitting end or a poor performance, etc.
2. What impact, if any, will it have on the 2020 season.

Now that we’ve gone through all four Big Ten losses (not including the CFP), let’s move on to the wins.

2020 Outback Bowl: Minnesota vs Auburn

The matchup

Auburn came in as a favorite, though surprisingly not a heavy one. The Tigers entered this game off the back of an upset win over Alabama in the Iron Bowl. Meanwhile, Minnesota lost two of its final three, against Iowa and Wisconsin. The Wisconsin game, in particular, wasn’t close. Auburn also came closest to beating LSU during the regular season.

Yes, coming in the matchup was one of a supremely talented but slightly underachieving Auburn team. All three Tigers losses came to Top 10 teams (LSU, Georgia, and Florida), and Auburn had wins over Oregon and Alabama. Minnesota, meanwhile, was 10-2 on the back of a lot of wins over bad teams, and losses to two of the three ranked teams it faced. The Golden Gophers also did not look great in early close wins (that should have been losses) over teams like South Dakota State, Fresno State, and Georgia Southern.

What went right

The Minnesota offense was really the story of this game. Yes, the defense did its job to keep Auburn more or less in check. But it was the offense that really won this game for Minnesota. This isn’t even just about Tyler Johnson’s career day, including the eventual game-winning 73-yard touchdown catch. Minnesota controlled the game on the ground, with Mohamed Ibrahim shouldering most of the load. Behind that powerful running game, the Golden Gophers were able to keep their defense rested, keep the game at the pace they wanted, and let Tanner Morgan efficiently throw for almost 300 yards behind it.

What went wrong

Not much, honestly. An early interception is the biggest fair critique of Minnesota. Sure, the Gophers didn’t play a perfect game–no college football team ever does. But Minnesota took its game plan against a more talented team and executed perfectly. It covered its weaknesses and the defense really shut down Auburn. This game went as well as any Gopher could have hoped for.

Next… 2019 wrap-up and 2020 impact

Alabama commit Kristian Story breaks Bo Nix’s high school touchdown record

Kristian Story has broken an AHSAA record of Bo Nix. The Lanett QB and Alabama commit now has 166 career touchdowns.

With a 49-yard touchdown pass, Kristian Story broke a record set by now-Auburn quarterback Bo Nix.

Story set the record Alabama High School Athletic Association on Friday for touchdowns accounted for.

The four-star athlete had six total touchdowns in the Lanett (Alabama) playoff win, throwing four and running for two. He had 302 total passing yards, according to Al.com.

In total, Story now has 166 touchdowns. Nix, an ALL-USA player, finished his career with 161.

Lanett took down Isabella (Maplesville, Alabama) 41-21 in the third round of the playoffs. Up next is Sweet Water (Alabama) in the Final Four as the Panthers, currently 12-0, work toward the championship.

Story, who also plays defensive back at Lanett, is committed to Alabama. He is ranked the No. 6 athlete and No. 9 player in the state, along with No. 215 in the class, per the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

He is expected to play defensive back at the next level, according to Al.com. But after proving himself at quarterback at the high school level, maybe he’ll be able to compete for the starting job in a battle that is expected to include Mac Jones, Taulia Tagovailoa and current five-star Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) quarterback Bryce Young.