Robby Ashford’s third start as Auburn’s quarterback had several twists and turns in a 42-10 loss against No. 2 Georgia at Sanford Stadium.

Ashford threw for 165 yards on 13 out of 38 passing attempts against the Bulldogs. Completing less than 40% of your passes isn’t ideal as a quarterback. However, several of the incompletions were throws out-of-bounds on third down when Georgia’s defensive line pressured the Tigers’ offensive line, and the Bulldogs’ secondary blanketed the Tigers’ receivers.

Georgia didn’t record a sack against Auburn mainly because Ashford scrambled for a team-leading 50 rushing yards and the throwaways. Extending plays with his legs and better decision-making could create a bright future for the Hoover High alum on the Plains.

Read More Auburn Football: Takeaways and impactful plays from Auburn’s 42-10 loss at No. 2 Georgia

Bryan Harsin ‘freaking frustrated’ by miscues in loss at No. 2 Georgia

Rewinding Auburn’s blowout 42-10 loss vs No. 2 Georgia

“I’ve seen from him, too, like, when everybody’s covered, he can pull it down and go make plays. He did that in the last game,” Harsin said. “We knew that would be a thing that would hurt Georgia, and really any defense too, when you’ve got a guy where everybody’s covered, he can pull it down and make some plays with his legs. We saw that from both sides. Robby did it, and we saw it from Stetson. He was able to do some things with his feet as well. So that has helped us. And now it’s just, not just him, but it’s everybody, right?”

As unfortunate twists of fate go, one of Ashford’s better running attempts ended in disaster. He fumbled during Auburn’s first trip past the 50-yard line on offense with the Tiger down 14-0 in the second quarter. Ball security has been an issue for Ashford and Auburn, as reflected by the team’s -9 turnover ratio.

‘You carry a football a certain way, and as a quarterback, you’re going to palm the ball for a minute because you’re trying to throw the ball,” Harsin said. “At some point, you’re going to tuck it away. And there’s that transition where you’re going to go from palming the ball because now you’re moving. After all, you might throw it, so you still have that grip, to then you’re going to tuck it and become a runner. And just in between that transition is where the ball came out, right? I don’t think he’s trying to be careless with it.”

Life doesn’t get easier for Auburn. The Tigers travel to Oxford for Saturday’s game against No. 9 Ole Miss. Auburn’s last win against a ranked opponent was last October 30th against the Rebels at Jordan-Hare. Auburn is 13-2 at Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium. If the Tigers extend the six-game win streak against the Rebels, they’ll need Ashford to continue improving decision-making and developing plays.

“I think he’s made some good decisions there. And even in the last game, too, there was a couple of times he threw the ball away,” Harsin said. “That’s not a bad choice, alright, when he was out there. It wasn’t a bad decision. Because there was nothing there. And he was going to lose yards. Even sometimes (when) things don’t go well, that decision, nobody likes it, but it’s still the right decision. And so, more experience helps guys just be better at those things.”