Robby Ashford showed poise and promise at Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium during Auburn’s 48-34 loss on October 15 against then No.9 Ole Miss.

Harsin appreciated how Ashford led the Tigers down the field after trailing 21-0 and sitting out a series. Ashford finished the game with two rushing touchdowns and 140 yards passing on 8-17 throwing attempts. His effort was a catalyst toward the Tigers being a few plays away from beating a ranked opponent for the first time since last season’s win on Halloween weekend against the Rebels.

Auburn downed Arkansas 38-23 in Fayetteville the week before beating the Rebels at Jordan-Hare. Now, the game against the Razorbacks comes with Harsin’s record sitting at 9-11 as the Tigers coach. His squad is on a three-game losing streak, and at 3-4, 1-3, SEC is an underdog against the 4-3 Razorbacks at home.

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Harsin recognizes the chance to salvage a winning season, and going to a bowl game requires elevated play from the most critical position on the field.

“I think improving, still not where we need to be,” Harsin said when asked about the quarterback situation. “The expectations in that room are really, really high. I think those guys are working at it. I think they’re taking the coaching as far as what they need to do to improve. I think they’re taking it upon themselves to be better students of the game and really understand how to prepare yourself week in and week out to be ready to go out there and play against whatever opponent we’re playing.”

Ashford’s 47.9% completion rate and five interceptions to four-touchdowns ratio leave lots to be desired from the quarterback position. He’s an excellent runner and can extend plays with his legs. His completion rate also factors in several throwaways because of pass protection breakdowns and no open receivers. However, there have also been times in which Ashford has over-thrown open pass-catchers.

“I think we’re executing, for the most part, their assignments and what they need to do at that position: checking, all those things, operating the offense, making plays. Robby’s able to do that, and that’s one thing Robby can do—he can extend plays; he can make plays. He’s doing a better job keeping his eyes down the field. He’s also a threat in the run game, so he’s that dual-threat guy that can do a lot of different things, and I think that room understands what we have to do at that position to be successful.”

Ashford’s completion percentage is low, but when he does connect they’re usually big plays. He has two 60-yard touchdown passes to running back Jarquez Hunter. His 15.13 yards per completed pass ranks second in the conference and fourth in the nation.

Auburn’s season and perhaps Harsin’s employment status will revolve around consistent quarterback play. Ashford showed potential, but can he put it together for four quarters?

“You want to see growth and you want to see things that we may not see it right away, as fast as we all want to see it, but we’re seeing growth in that room, and we’re seeing guys getting better because practices improved,” Harsin said. “The effort, the attitude—all the things that you need at that position to be better are showing up out at practice. Ultimately, that need to show up at the game and show up consistently for four quarters for us to do what we need to do.”

Nubyjas Wilborn covers Auburn for Alabama Media Group.