Robby Ashford's Week Two Report Card

An in-depth analysis of Ashford's start vs. Western Carolina

Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After rating Robby Ashford at a B- last week despite having a 29.3, I and many others knew that Ashford would have to back up a statement that seemed to some to be generous at best. All optimism for the redshirt senior was validated in Wake’s monstrous win against the Western Carolina Catamounts on Saturday. His previous report card was graded on how good Ashford was able to lead the team under center and perform in the moments they needed him.

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The Positives

By just looking at the box score, something was much different about this game. The Deacons were able to properly establish an offense, and that all comes down to the shot caller on the field. His patience in the pocket, juxtaposed with the instant jetting out from the previous week, is a major improvement. Just because Ashford spent ample time in the pocket does not mean that he wasn’t a running threat at all times. Tacking in nearly a first down a carry, Robby Ashford made plays on the ground both through designed runs and coverage breakdown. 

The biggest issue in week one was that the Deacs could not maintain a balanced attack. In order for this to happen, Robby Ashford and the Demon Deacon offense needed to establish a solid passing game early. In the third drive of the game, Ashford read zone on the left side of the field, stayed patient, and delivered a deep out to move the chains. The following drive, Ashford saw the safety man up a receiver over the top, and manipulated his body to misplace the outside linebacker. These seemingly insignificant plays opened up the floor for Claiborne, who broke through the middle of the defense to score, a story that seemed to repeat itself throughout the game.

With Claiborne back and Wake Forest having a balanced attack, Robby Ashford was able to uncork some balls and take risks. There, we all got to see Ashford’s deep ball ability, and fearlessness to throw one one-on-one coverage positions. Ultimately, Wake Forest isn’t a pass-first team. However, if Ashford can be a pass threat, the read option combo of Demond Claiborne and Robby Ashford will win the Demon Deacons' football games.

The Negatives

Currently, Robby Ashford is not developed enough to be a legitimate deep threat. Also, there were a couple of reads that I would have liked to see Ashford connect on. The most obvious one was the pick he threw in the first quarter. Seeing that his intended receiver had beaten the linebacker, likely thinking it was man coverage, Ashford neglected to read the overtop safety and threw a pick. While the play was well-run by the Catamounts, this mistake could’ve been avoided.

With heavy pass protection, Ashford had ample time to wait for the play to develop. What I would have liked to see from Ashford is either throw the wide open crosser for a first down, or wait to see if the safety would bite on the deep out early, resulting in a wide open streak from the slot. Had Ashford chosen the latter, the middle of the field would have subsequently been wide open, leaving free rein to rush if the safety was covered properly. 

Overall, this does not move the dial on his report card just yet:

Extra Credit Opportunity

In the end, Robby Ashford took the necessary step he needed to take to maintain his grade. Mistakes were bound to happen with his increased in risk. Now, it is time to see if the Demon Deacons can equalize the running and passing effort in their home game on Thursday night against NC State. If the Demon Deacons want to win this game, they should expect to throw the ball early to open the door for the read option. 

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As always, the key to success lies in knowing your assignments, completing the tasks, and, in time, improving the report card.