Auburn QB Bo Nix injured and won’t play against South Carolina, reports say
Auburn football will be without a central piece of its offense for this week’s matchup with South Carolina, according to multiple reports Sunday. Cam Gaskins of ABC Columbia was the first with the news.
Bo Nix, the Tigers’ third-year starting quarterback, reportedly broke his ankle late in the third quarter of Auburn’s most recent loss to Mississippi State, according to Justin Hokanson of On3 Sports. Nix continued to play until the last drive of the fourth quarter and finished the day completing 27 of his 41 passes for 377 yards and two touchdowns.
Rivals reported that Nix would have surgery on the ankle Monday. Nix confirmed the injury in an Instagram post Sunday night.
“Bones break and things change, but God is always the same,” Nix wrote on Instagram. “The road to recovery begins tomorrow. Thanks everyone for the thoughts and prayers!”
Nix was the SEC’s fifth-leading passer in 2021, totaling 2,294 yards for 11 touchdowns and three interceptions on 61% passing. He added another four touchdowns and 168 yards rushing, good for third-most on Auburn’s roster.
ABC Columbia’s report said T.J. Finley, Auburn’s transfer quarterback from LSU, was most likely to get the start against the Gamecocks. Finley has appeared in six games for Auburn in his sophomore season, going 17 of 33 for 275 yards and two touchdowns.
Finley was in for two plays against Mississippi State last week. He tossed an incomplete pass on first down and lost a fumble on a sack to finish the Tigers’ home loss to the Bulldogs.
South Carolina faced Finley last season when the Gamecocks lost to LSU 52-24 in Baton Rouge. In that game, Finley completed 17 of his 21 passes for 265 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He added another touchdown on the ground.
Finley completed 57.1% of his passes at LSU, totaling 941 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions before transferring to Auburn.
South Carolina (5-5, 2-5 SEC) and Auburn (6-4, 3-3 SEC) kick off at 7 p.m. Saturday in Williams-Brice Stadium. The game will be televised by ESPN.
This story was originally published November 14, 2021 at 7:30 PM.
