Mississippi State Bulldogs safety Brian Cole (32) and linebacker Leo Lewis (10) pressure Auburn Tigers quarterback Bo Nix (10) during the second quarter at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

AUBURN, Alabama — Bo Nix grew up a huge fan of Cam Newton.

When the Auburn quarterback became a hot prospect in high school, he jumped at the chance to participate in Newton’s 7-on-7 tournaments. They got to know each other. Suddenly, the man Nix idolized was side by side with him. The lifetime Auburn fan was learning from a Heisman Trophy winner.

On Saturday night, Nix could finally call his favorite quarterback and tell him he’s just as good as him — at least for one night.

“I might have to,” Nix said after demolishing Mississippi State 56-23 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

The true freshman became the first Auburn quarterback to throw for 300 yards and run for 50 yards since Newton did it in a 56-17 victory against South Carolina in the 2010 SEC Championship Game.

“I didn't even know that, but that's really awesome,” Nix said. “I mean, I'm just glad I could help my team. I'm willing to do whatever for them, if that's running or passing, and just happy we had a good night on offense and scored a lot of points.”

Nix’s career night included 335 passing yards and two touchdowns on 16 of 21 passing. He also led the Tigers with 56 rushing yards on seven carries. He picked up 30 yards on one run, which ended with him fumbling the ball out of bounds. Everyone on Auburn’s coaching staff knew Nix could run. He’s technically faster than the “dual-threat” backup Joey Gatewood, but it hasn’t been until the last three weeks that he has shown it off. He ran 12 times in a victory last week at Texas A&M.

“When your quarterback makes plays with his feet, it opens up everything: inside, passing game, all the above,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. “He made some good decisions. He's starting to feel more comfortable. Every time out he's starting to see a lot of different looks. He's learning as he goes. The thing I like about it is when he makes a mistake, he usually doesn't make the same mistake twice.”

Look no further than Nix’s touch on the deep ball. He missed three wide-open receivers on deep routes at Texas A&M. He missed only one, a double-move on a tough pass to Anthony Schwartz, on Saturday night.

He completed eight passes of 20 yards or more, including a 48-yarder on a fly route by Schwartz that set up the final touchdown of the first half at the 3-yard line. He opened up the second half by ending the first possession with a 32-yard touchdown pass to Seth Williams.

“I feel like today I was seeing things about as good as I’ve seen them at the college level,” Nix said. “The coaches did a really good job of preparing me for what to see in that situation with a bunch of film study, so the game is slowing down for me. I think that helps a lot, as far as the passing.”

Nix totaled 391 yards and three touchdowns, including a 9-yard scamper in the first quarter, before exiting the game after Auburn’s final touchdown with 14:16 remaining. The No 7 Tigers (5-0, 2-0 SEC) finished with 578 yards.

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Not only was Nix more on target with his receivers on intermediate and deep routes, he continued to make corrections in live action. Whether it was firing a pass away with the clock ticking away instead of absorbing a sack in the final second in the first half or his growth in the zone-read offense, everything seemed to click.

Nix was also allowed to check into more plays than usual against the Bulldogs.

“As a quarterback, you’re only as good as your weapons, and we have a bunch of them,” Nix said. “We have a lot more than we’re really even using right now. So the pieces are there and we’re really finding a way to put them together.”

Nix’s favorite target continues to be Seth Williams, who caught eight passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns on 10 targets. He caught a 39-yard touchdown fro m Nix with 5:33 remaining in the second quarter as Auburn built a 42-9 lead at halftime. It tied the school record for points scored in a half against an SEC opponent.

For Nix, small tweaks have proven to be the difference.

“I didn't see it, but they said he stayed in the pocket and took a hit when he released one. That's good to know,” Williams said. “A freshman can stay in the pocket and take a hit and throw the ball? That's good. He's getting his confidence up.”