Bo Knows! Oregon Heisman Finalist Nix Shines in His NFL Debut

It's just one game, and an exhibition game at that, but the Ducks Bo Nix operated like a veteran in the Denver Broncos 34-30 win over Indianapolis in Lucas Oil Stadium today.

Nix led four scoring drives, two for touchdowns and two for field goals. He looked smooth, comfortable and in command, 15-21 passing for 125 yards and a touchdown, rushing three times for 17 yards, including a 6-yard scramble on third and three, running for 11 yards down to the Colts 19 later in the series.

With just under five minutes to go in the second quarter, Nix capped a 10-play, 54-yard drive by threading a pass to receiver Marvin Mims near the left pylon for a 1-yard touchdown and a 10-3 lead, the first TD pass of his pro career.

In the race to become the Denver starter, Jarrett Stidham, who preceded Nix at Auburn, opened the game and 4-7 passing for 37 yards and an interception. Former Jet Zach Wilson played well, mopping up in the third and fourth quarter, 10-13 passing for 113 yards, no scores.

Nix won the middle eight for the Broncos. He led a field goal drive just before halftime to give the visitors a 13-10 lead, then drove the team 56 yards in 10 plays with the second half kickoff. He connected on 5-5 passes before running back Audric Estime ran it in for a 20-10 lead.

Another former Duck, tight end Hunter Kampmoyer caught three passes for 29 yards in the victory. He caught passes for 11 and 14 yards on a third quarter touchdown drive that gave the Broncos a 27-17 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Oregon's all-time single season receiving yardage leader Troy Franklin was targeted only once and did not record a catch.

Nix narrowly missed another touchdown when a pass to Josh Reynolds slipped through the receiver's fingers in the right corner of the end zone, a perfectly thrown ball against tight coverage.