The Bryan Harsin era at Auburn got underway in impressive fashion Saturday, as the Tigers rolled to a 60-10 victory at home against Akron in their season opener.

While there was plenty to like about Auburn’s performance, the play of quarterback Bo Nix certainly stands out.

The 6-3, 214-pound junior showed glimpses of stardom during his first two seasons on The Plains, but he was also mistake-prone and inconsistent.

On Saturday against the Zips, however, Nix appeared to be in control of the offense and his game, as he completed 20-of-22 passes for 275 and 3 touchdowns.

The performance left his head coach impressed.

“I thought he did a good job,” Harsin said in his postgame press conference. “You saw plays that he executed; everybody saw that. What I got to see was his presence, leadership in the huddle, his poise on the 2-minute drive to get us into field-goal range and get points at the end of the half. Just some of the other things, too, that not everybody would know.”

Harsin added that he was particularly pleased with how Nix managed the game and the decisions that he made, which resulted in a complete lack of the kind of miscues that the junior quarterback committed far too often in his first 2 seasons.

“We called some shot plays, and the look might not have been, and he made the right decision to not have that play run,” Harsin explained. “So, he managed the game well. I thought he played well, he ran when he needed to; he’s obviously very effective when he does that.

“Overall, at that position, the decision-making, he was accurate with his throws, he did a good job on the sideline of getting adjustments with Coach (Mike) Bobo and getting that explained with the wide receivers, the tailbacks, the tight ends amongst the players when he needed to. Then he showed it on the field, the sideline, getting them on the field and going out there to execute. We didn’t have any penalties coming from the sideline after a kickoff return; we didn’t have delay of games, so that really comes back to the QB and just managing, which is a big part of his position.”

Harsin also said he was happy with the joy and passion that his junior quarterback played with in the opener.

“I thought he had fun. He was good, he had a smile on his face, he had good energy out there, he was executing well,” Harsin added. “So, all the work that he’s been putting in — he’s a dedicated player — he got a chance to show some of that tonight. Now we can build from that going to the next game and hopefully continue with that decision-making and that type of execution. He knows what kind of work it takes to do that. I’m proud of him. It was good to just watch him operate tonight, to see him handle all the things thrown at him. ”

Auburn will return to action Saturday at home against Alabama State.

You can check out all of Harsin’s comments about Nix and his first game at Auburn below.