Ashford’s long-awaited debut ‘felt like a dream’

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Auburn quarterback Robby Ashford’s long-awaited debut ‘felt like a dream’

• Published: Sep. 04, 2022, 8:07 a.m.

QB Robby Ashford talks Auburn debut, win against Mercer

 

 

 

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• Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

Robby Ashford was nearly brought to tears last Sunday — and it wasn’t because T.J. Finley was named Auburn’s starting quarterback after an offseason-long competition.

 

It was because, after two years of being buried on the depth chart at Oregon, Ashford knew his time was finally coming. Offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau informed Ashford last weekend, not long after Finley was dubbed QB1, that he would still be involved in Auburn’s gameplan against Mercer. Ashford then made his college debut during the Tigers’ 42-16 win, seeing situational work in the first half before being entrusted with three full drives in the second half.

 

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“That was all I could ask,” Ashford said of his opportunity. “…That they feel comfortable enough with me to put me in the game, I feel like, to have a coaching staff that trusts me and wants the best for me, I can’t thank them enough. They’ve done more for me than they know. I probably tell them thank you a lot, but I feel like I still don’t do it enough because they gave me my second chance. That’s all I could ask for.”

Ashford made the most of that second chance in what was his first college action, completing 4-of-7 passes for 100 yards, rushing for 68 yards on six carries and leading two second-half touchdown drives during Auburn’s Week 1 victory at Jordan-Hare Stadium. He didn’t start — that designation went to Finley — but he played a substantial role in Auburn’s gameplan, seeing the field on the fourth play of the game and rotating in at various points during the Tigers’ first four drives of the game.

Ashford showed off his running ability early, including a 49-yard run to open Auburn’s second drive after the Tigers were backed up at their own 7-yard line. That explosive run, which was Auburn’s longest of the night, helped set up Finley’s first touchdown pass of the season just a couple plays later.

“You can see, he can fly now,” Auburn coach Bryan Harsin said.

 

 

The redshirt freshman from Hoover also helped Auburn show its creativity offensively. The Tigers fielded both quarterbacks at the same time during a second-quarter drive, with Ashford lined up in the slot and Finley behind center. Ashford took a jet sweep handoff from Finley and then pitched the ball to Tank Bigsby for a 21-yard gain in the second quarter. That led to the first of two touchdowns on the night for Bigsby.

Then, in the third quarter, after Finley’s second interception of the game, Ashford had the chance to showcase his passing ability. After Bigsby dropped Ashford’s first-ever pass attempt — a quick screen to the right — Ashford converted a third down with an 8-yard pass to Tar’Varish Dawson Jr. He then connected with Ja’Varrius Johnson on a perfectly placed 56-yard pass downfield.

 

“It was good because, you know, kind of being an athletic quarterback everybody likes to downplay by throwing, but I’m a quarterback; I’m not just an athlete,” Ashford said. “…It just gave me a sense of confidence, like, ‘OK, I know I can go out there and do this.’ I had some first-game jitters, but hitting that definitely gave me some confidence.”

it was a strong debut for Ashford, who has waited a long time for his number to be called. A former four-star recruit out of Hoover, he originally signed with Oregon but didn’t see the field in either of his two seasons with the Ducks. He was fourth on the depth chart at Oregon last season and decided to transfer at the end of the year.

 

He ultimately decided to return to his home state, committing to Auburn, where Harsin provided him the opportunity to compete in a retooled quarterback room that featured Finley and Texas A&M transfer Zach Calzada. Despite no college experience, Ashford saw his stock rise throughout the spring — earning offensive MVP honors at A-Day — and into the preseason, pushing Finley for the starting job and earning his share of first-team reps even as the preseason wound down.

 

“I had a rough situation at Oregon, and I really can’t thank Coach Harsin enough for giving me the opportunity,” Ashford said. “He gave me the opportunity to compete, from fall camp and the time I got here, and I just knew I had to make the most of it. Just getting out in Jordan-Hare, it almost felt like a dream. I was just taking it all in.”

 

Although Ashford knew his chance would come in Week 1, even he seemed surprised to see the field as early as he did—though he certainly knew it was a possibility; Kiesau told him pregame to keep his helmet on and be ready to hear his number called. That call came a handful of times in the first half, and then after Finley’s third-quarter interception, Kiesau informed Ashford he’d have a chance to manage an entire drive.

The 19-year-old engineered two consecutive scoring drives in the third quarter to help Auburn put Mercer away for good.

“Robby is an amazing talent, and we just have to find more ways to get him involved, because we’re going to need him this year, for sure,” Finley said.

What Saturday’s debut means for Ashford moving forward remains to be seen, especially after Finley’s two interceptions on consecutive drives. Harsin said after the game that Finley is still the starter and that he wasn’t going to make any hasty decisions about the dynamic at quarterback until he gets a chance to review the film and fully assess both players’ performances against Mercer.

Even if Ashford’s opening-night performance added some intrigue to the Tigers’ quarterback position, he isn’t going to concern himself with that.

“I can’t be the one to say that,” Ashford said. “That’s up to my coaching staff. I didn’t really look at it like that. I just looked at it as I got an opportunity to play ball. And that’s all I wanted and all I asked for. Whether I’m going off the bench or starting, I just want to play football. Whichever way I can help the team is what I’m going to do every day and keep working.”

 

 

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.