In his first college game, former Pinson Valley High School quarterback Bo Nix threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Seth Williams with nine seconds to play to lift No. 16 Auburn to a 27-21 victory over No. 11 Oregon on Aug. 31, 2019, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Nix completed 13-of-31 passes for 177 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions and ran seven times for 42 yards.

In the opening game of his senior season, Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert completed 28-of-37 passes for 242 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Herbert would lead the Ducks to the Pac-12 championship and a victory in the Rose Bowl before joining the Los Angeles Chargers as the sixth selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Nix spent three seasons at Auburn, then also played at Oregon for two seasons before joining the Denver Broncos as the 12th choice in the 2024 NFL Draft.

“It was a great head-to-head battle,” Nix said on Wednesday. “They had a really good football team. I still remember them being one of the best defenses that I played, and Justin had a great game himself, and it came down to the wire and it was just a really good college football game that day.”

On Sunday, Nix and Herbert will square off again when the Broncos and Chargers meet in an AFC West game at 3:05 p.m. CDT at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver.

Nix said he got to know Herbert after he transferred to Oregon in 2022.

“I played with his little brother, Pat, and he would be back every once in a while,” Nix said. “He came to a game or two, and I was just able to be around him and talk and just kind of get to know him. Obviously, it’s not super close because we didn’t have a whole lot of time, but I do appreciate him coming before me. He played for a while at Oregon, went through some tough times and battled through it and he won a Pac-12 championship and a Rose Bowl, so he’s one of those guys you look up to playing at Oregon.

“And now he’s been in the league for several years, we’ve been watching him, and he’s been doing some great things, so it’ll be fun watching him live and fun seeing him again.”

After losing their first two games of the season, the Broncos defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-7 on Sept. 22, New York Jets 10-9 on Sept. 29 and Las Vegas Raiders 34-18 on Oct. 6.

“I think consistency is the key, and I’ve been able to make strides just in five weeks,” Nix said. “But I continue to find those areas of improvements each game. You’re always going to look back and want a few back and make some mistakes in games and wish you could do them different, but that’s why you play again and again. Just being consistent, I think, is the main thing and continuing not to turn the ball over and put your team in a good spot.”

The Broncos and Chargers rank in the top 10 in takeaways in the NFL this season. Nix threw two interceptions in each of Denver’s losses, but he has not been picked off in the past three games.

“I think this is going to be one of those turnover games,” Nix said. “Who can win the turnover margin and who can protect the ball and who can cause takeaways, so it’s going to be important especially for this game.”

Broncos coach Sean Payton said this week that Nix’s ability to see the field had improved as the rookie had gained experience.

“I think processing the defense,” Payton said when asked about Nix’s areas of growth. “My experience is – and it’s the hardest thing always for us to evaluate with some of the college players – but getting through the progression quickly and a decision quickly is extremely helpful in avoiding taking unnecessary sacks. If you’re processing slowing and having to see it longer, it’s just another one-Mississippi with the ball in your hand. His ability to process – aside from, obviously, he can move – but his ability to process helps that greatly.”

Nix was sacked two times each in Denver’s first two games. In the past three, he’s been sacked three times, with all three in Sunday’s game against the Raiders.

“I think it’s just understanding timing and protections and getting the ball out and being on time and not just sitting back there and holding the ball,” Nix said. “I took three on Sunday, and I wish I could have a few of them back because sacks kill drives and it’s hard to overcome a sack, so I just try to avoid them, and, obviously, you can’t not take sacks without having great protection from the O-line, so they’re doing a great job.”

The Chargers come out of their bye week with a 2-2 record. After beating the Raiders and the Carolina Panthers to open the season, Los Angeles lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs.

Yielding an average of 12.5 points per game, the Chargers have the No. 1 scoring defense in the NFL.

“They do a good job keeping everything in front of them,” Nix said. “They don’t give up explosives. They’ve kept everybody to low scoring. I feel like they do a good job tackling and, like I said, just keeping everything in front of them. They don’t make a whole lot of mistakes. They don’t bust coverage or be out of alignment or gaps, and so they do a good job on defense.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.