Robbie Ashford: QB Auburn

[Jemangi]

Robbie Ashford was our 4th string qb last yr. an now starting for Auburn.

Jay Butterfield and Tye Thompson must have been better eh?

[Annie]

On 10/1/2022 at 7:19 PM, Jemangi said:

...

Jay Butterfield and Tye Thompson must have been better eh?

Hope so!

[Dr Hilarius]

coaches can be very risk-averse and close-minded

[Flaps2]

On 10/1/2022 at 8:19 PM, Jemangi said:

Robbie Ashford was our 4th string qb last yr. an now starting for Auburn.

Jay Butterfield and Tye Thompson must have been better eh?

Says more about the state of the Auburn program. Their coach will be fired soon.

[Quackanadian]

Ty Thompson. I hope the kid turns a corner soon. I am not sure of a 5 star recruit that has underperformed like this when placed in a game, other than Tate Martell.... Yikes. 

[Pennsylvania Duck]

I am hoping Bo stays another year to mentor Dante Moore. I don't see TT or Butters as good mentors yet.

 

It's frustrating seeing TT underperform when given chances. I'd like to see what Butters can do now in games as we really have no idea.

[Haywarduck]

I still love Robby, did anyone catch his tackle on the defender who took away the ball from one of his receivers yesterday. Probably one of the better open field tackles I have seen this year. Guy got up with turf embedded into his facemask. I thought he played well too, those are the growing pains of the first year.

 

I also give Ty plenty of license to learn and grow. Coming in at the end of the game isn't easy. I think Ty can be a very good qb. My bet is if Ty has to come in and play the team will rally around him. For now we aren't seeing the full extent of what he can do.  

 

From the past I remember many of our back-ups, who became very good, not looking all-world right away. Dennis Dixon wasn't that great until his senior season.

 

I get the criticism, as I have been critical of Bo, but we should also keep in mind they are Ducks, student athletes, and doing their best.

 

 

[McDuck]

To me Ty Thompson has the demeanor of a guy who is putting the finishing touches on his transfer application.  Maybe I should go back and watch his reps again but last night I really wanted to see Jay Butterfield get a shot, the the results with TT were disappointing.

[lownslowav8r]

Ty looked lost and uninspired. Talk about playing yourself out of playing time. He just doesn’t look like a good QB. 

[DrJacksPlaidPants]

On 10/2/2022 at 10:43 AM, Haywarduck said:

From the past I remember many of our back-ups, who became very good, not looking all-world right away. Dennis Dixon wasn't that great until his senior season.

 

 

 

The big reason for Dixon’s success was Chip. That was his first year as OC and his offense was perfectly suited for DD’s skill set. Unfortunately for Ashford, he’s going to get a new coaching staff next season, so he will have to start over. There’s also a chance that he may not be in the future coach’s plans. For example, how many teams in the Pac are playing with a new transfer QB? I can name 6 just off the top of my head. 
 

Fuskies, WSU, Ducks, USC, ASU, Arizona.

[CountryProf]

Ashford is third on Auburn's depth chart. The two quarterbacks ahead of him are injured.

[Mic]

On 10/2/2022 at 7:43 AM, Haywarduck said:

I also give Ty plenty of license to learn and grow. Coming in at the end of the game isn't easy. I think Ty can be a very good qb. My bet is if Ty has to come in and play the team will rally around him. For now we aren't seeing the full extent of what he can do.  

TT doesn't appear to me to be anywhere near ready to play football at the collegiate level.  Not once this year, when appearing in a game, has he looked anything like a 5* QB.  As things look now, Bo Nix was a God-send to the Oregon program or Lanning and company may be looking at a 2-3 start (or worse) instead of a 4-1 start.

[Washington Waddler]

     At this point, it’s difficult to ever imagine the car keys being handed to Ty. That glazed smile painted across his face during the turbulence of live action seems to suggest just how lost the kid feels. 
 

     To a great extent, he appears to be the victim of his own bright, potential future — which is where he seems to be stuck. Potential means nothing unless you can develope the capacity and maturity to turn it into reality. Yet another reminder of Mario’s legacy?

 

     Hopefully, he proves this point of view utterly wrong and catches fire. It’s happened many times before. On the other hand, a step back into the comfort zone of a lower division program where the pressure is off is sometimes required to give young minds the chance to catch up to potential. 
 

     I wish the kid well — whatever path he eventually follows.

Edited October 2, 2022 by Washington Waddler
grammar

[Haywarduck]

DJU at Clemson threw 9 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season. It was hard to see the talent the kid had, and it was easy to criticize. Fortunately, what was also hard to see was his resilience.

 

He is showing his talent this season. It isn't easy to make the move to leading a massive program.

 

We have coaches who know qb talent and they see something in Ty. I hope he has the same resilience, and I bet he has more skill than we have seen.

 

I will point out Nix still shows a huge gap in being able to throw the long ball, with accuracy. We see all he is doing well, and the wins. He deserves our support, and I would say Ty does too.

 

I have no problem with the criticism, but let's not give up on him. We may wish we have Ty next season if he leaves. If we have to start a true freshman he could have the same season as DJU did.

 

I applaud the coaches for getting Ty in and giving him experience. It isn't always pretty, but, as they say, that is how the sausage is made.

[Mic]

He looks to me like he's only halfway into the game, mind-wise, too.  His best 'look' was on the one deep throw he made to the end zone: the ball was thrown on a rope, a tight spiral.  The problem was it was off target, too far ahead for the receiver to catch up.

 

Maybe (!) if he enters the game when it's actually a game on the line for the ducks and he has to pull O out of the fire ?  I just don't know.

[Charles Fischer]

To me, Ty seems "flat" with a profound absence of leadership presence.  There is no "it" factor, and I am taking that entirely from what we see on TV.

[Haywarduck]

Last thing I will write on this subject, but it does seem like many can't empathize with process Ty is going through. Maybe we should all reflect on when we started our careers or our latest job?

 

Were you top of your game right out of law school? Did all the years of medical school enable you to have all the answers, or were there even more than you realized? Did your latest job seem simple at first, only to realize how many things were involved?

 

I see that way too often in the real world not to say something. Somebody who has made it, or maybe had it given to them not appreciating the guy doing a great job cleaning around the airport. They just zoom by and maybe complain if something isn't just right. 

 

I like seeing critical analysis on players and coaches. I point out things I see as weaknesses, and where there could be improvement. What I don't like is any name calling or labeling of these student athletes or coaches trying to do their best for our program.

 

So have a take, but maybe reflect on just how hard these people are working at their craft. They are probably their worst critic, and don't need to read, or hear about some fan attacking them in any way. And call me out when I do it, because I know I am a crazy fan too.

[kirklandduck]

I recall reading an article (for the life of me I can't find it anymore) that has an account from a college recruiter where they evaluated TT highly because he possessed a raw skillset that showed an extremely high ceiling but expressed specifically that he was a project, no where near what one would consider polished.  He demolished high school opponents based on his physical talent alone, not necessarily be because he was a well-coached technical QB.  That was 3 years ago when we first signed TT.

 

It now seems pretty clear the assessment was accurate.  TT is supremely gifted with physical tools but needed serious guidance and development, of which he received precious little of under the Cristobal regime.  You can see it on the field...his confidence, demeanor, and composure when trying to run the offense looks more like a true freshman than a redshirt sophomore who spent 2-3 years at the college level. 

 

That being said, even if Cristobal didn't do him any favors, you'd think he'd show at least a little improvement practicing with college players.  Last night he ran 3 series and didn't have a successful play in any of them.  My bar for him was whether he could make a solid 1-2 plays to show that he's improving his vision, read progression, etc.  Unfortunately we didn't even see that. 

 

He had a chance where one of the WRs was running a short cross route right through the middle, maybe 10-15 yards out max straight in front of him.  Should have been an easy soft pitch and may have led to a 1st down.  But TT proceeded to throw a rocket which zipped straight through the WR's hands for an incompletion...there weren't any defenders around him at the time.  That shows a disconcerting lack of touch or a set of shaky nerves, neither of which instills me with any confidence if Nix goes down with an injury.

 

Could he grow into it over the course of the season?  Maybe.  But the clock is ticking because Dante Moore is coming in soon and he is, in fact, as polished of a high school QB as you can get and I believe will compete for the starting spot right away should Nix not return.  

Edited October 2, 2022 by kirklandduck

[Mic]

On 10/2/2022 at 2:24 PM, Haywarduck said:

Last thing I will write on this subject, but it does seem like many can't empathize with process Ty is going through. Maybe we should all reflect on when we started our careers or our latest job?

Yeah, we've all been thru what you say here, but Ty Thompson has been at Oregon for what? 3 years now, including the Covid-shortened fiasco?  And yes, this is another whole new system he's adjusting to but still... this doesn't explain his lack of a spark, his lack of coming into the game and trying to take it over.  He seems almost reluctant to be in there, to me.  I can't explain it, no once can but once again, Thank Heavens (!)  Nix made the transfer after all.

[Pennsylvania Duck]

Well, I am ready to move on. If we haven't seen anything from TT by now to give us some hope, I am not sure he is the one to get us to Nattyland. I know MC did him no favors,

but he should have learned some basic fundamentals by now. Confidence on the big stage is something that some people never get and I am not sure we can wait for him to get it.

 

I'd like to see what Butters can do. He seemed more confident to me in the spring game and someone mentioned on another thread that he can throw dimes. What this offense 

needs is someone to throw dimes. Plus we need to know what Butters can do in games too.

 

If neither one is a potential starter, then the coaches need to know that going into next year. It would be great if Nix stays another year to mentor Dante Moore. 

[Mic]

On 10/4/2022 at 4:47 PM, Pennsylvania Duck said:

If neither one is a potential starter, then the coaches need to know that going into next year. It would be great if Nix stays another year to mentor Dante Moore. 

If Nix were to stay around for one more year (certainly a possibility) it would be far more than a 'mentoring year' for him.  It could be a Heisman candidate year for him.  He's not likely to win (imo) but certainly he would be one of the best in the Nation if he sticks around.

 

And that mentoring thing you mention? - IF Donte Moore comes to Oregon there will be that too because I don't see any Freshman QB out-dueling Nix in a QB match next year.  Not even Moore.  I hope Moore does come here and that Nix stays.  I didn't feel this way three weeks ago before the BYU game but I do now.

[chrisjenn99]

On 10/2/2022 at 12:52 PM, Charles Fischer said:

Ty seems "flat" with a profound absence of leadership presence.

Can't remember which game it was, but I saw Ty hand off to the RB, and proceed to stand there and watch the play.  Bo would've been in the scrum making a block.  Hopefully he gets some fire in his belly.

[Dukduponquak]

On 10/2/2022 at 9:37 AM, Washington Waddler said:

     At this point, it’s difficult to ever imagine the car keys being handed to Ty. That glazed smile painted across his face during the turbulence of live action seems to suggest just how lost the kid feels. 
 

     To a great extent, he appears to be the victim of his own bright, potential future — which is where he seems to be stuck. Potential means nothing unless you can develope the capacity and maturity to turn it into reality. Yet another reminder of Mario’s legacy?

 

     Hopefully, he proves this point of view utterly wrong and catches fire. It’s happened many times before. On the other hand, a step back into the comfort zone of a lower division program where the pressure is off is sometimes required to give young minds the chance to catch up to potential. 
 

     I wish the kid well — whatever path he eventually follows.

He probably really is distracted by college fun! 

[Nevada Dawg]

If I may play devil's advocate for a moment, it is  possible that Ty's deer-in-the-headlights look is simply due to a lack of meaningful reps in practice with the first-team offense ,and he may never develop if he never gets these reps.

 

Had you seen Justin Fields on the field as a freshman at Georgia, he looked, and was, totally lost trying to run the GA offense. It was a great decision for him to go to Ohio State as the Bucknuts ran an offense tailored to Justin's skill set and he probably had little chance of unseating a less talented but solid college QB as a sophomore or even a junior. 

 

Now Justin is in Chicago trying to run a Bears offense that is not well  suited to his skill set and he is again struggling. But he got the big pro contract and may develop yet into a star.

 

A change of scenery might be good for Ty, particularly if Nix returns. I don't know how Dillingham operates, but if Ty's skill set does not suit the OC (do we know what that skill set is?) he may not get a real chance to win the starter's job and should probably transfer. If he leaves, good luck to the young man.

[OhioDuck]

Watching half the game against Georgia so far, I can see Robbie being behind Ty and Butters. He has some talent, runs it really well, but not ready for this level yet.

 

He throws hard, has a good arm, but little touch.

 

Fortunately for Auburn to this point Georgia seems a little flat on offense themselves.

 

 

[1Ducker1]

On 10/8/2022 at 2:38 PM, OhioDuck said:

Watching half the game against Georgia so far, I can see Robbie being behind Ty and Butters. He has some talent, runs it really well, but not ready for this level yet.

 

He throws hard, has a good arm, but little touch.

 

Fortunately for Auburn to this point Georgia seems a little flat on offense themselves.

 

 

Or Oregon's defense was pathetic?

[Dr Hilarius]

On 10/8/2022 at 2:49 PM, 1Ducker1 said:

Or Oregon's defense was pathetic?

It was pathetic.

 

Good news is the coaches simplified things, and it’s much improved. 

[OhioDuck]

On 10/8/2022 at 5:49 PM, 1Ducker1 said:

Or Oregon's defense was pathetic?

Part of it was we went into the game expecting last years GA offense.

 

We stopped their power running game, we missed a couple dozen +- tackles on the edge and they and the rest is history. 

 

They jet swept, bubble screened and swing passed us to death. If we had made clean tackles on those consistently, close game. We didn't.

 

Looked like a totally different team by BYU. 

 

Robbie actually looked a little better in the second half, but the Georgia offense looked a lot better. They looked like the #1 team in the country in the second half, not so much the first.

[OhioDuck]

On 10/2/2022 at 2:29 AM, Flaps2 said:

Says more about the state of the Auburn program. Their coach will be fired soon.

To be fair, he was third string at Auburn before injuries. Despite 28 points in the second half, Auburns defense didn't look bad. 

[Nevada Dawg]

If what was said about Robbie today, that he never saw the field in a game for Oregon, is correct, we should recognize that experientially, he is now playing in his 4th or 5th college game.  Hopefully the kid will grow up fast and have a good career at Auburn. The potential is there but the SEC wars are a rough baptism for anyone as inexperienced as Ronnie  Ashford.