Tyson Helton shares what makes Robby Ashford dangerous
Tyson Helton had some complimentary words for Auburn quarterback Robby Ashford ahead of trying to stop him this weekend.
The Western Kentucky head coach recognizes how big a victory over the Tigers could be for his program, but keeping Ashford at bay will be no small task when the time comes.
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“He’s a good game manager, he’s very athletic. Very good competitor. You can tell he’s passionate about wanting to win,” elaborated Helton. “They’ve utilized him well the past two weeks. I think they’ve done some good things with him. He can beat you with his legs, he can beat you with his arm. I think he’s playing good, complimentary football, for what they’re asking him to do.
“So yeah, I’ve been impressed with him. He’s had to develop too, you know? They’ve had several quarterbacks play, and seems to be, especially last week, seemed to do some really good things.”
On the season, Ashford’s statistics don’t jump off the page, as he’s only thrown six touchdowns to seven interceptions, but he’s also rushed for five touchdowns, as well. Still, he jumps off the screen on film, and can hurt defenses if you’re not prepared.
Tyson Helton will have his team ready, but time will tell if it’s enough to deliver a demoralizing defeat to Robby Ashford and Auburn.
Tyson Helton says playing at Auburn will be ‘a great honor’
Continuing, Tyson Helton is in his fourth season at the helm at WKU and, as of this weekend, will be making his second trip to SEC country. That’s because the Hilltoppers are slated to head down to Auburn to face the Tigers in a late-season matchup. However, Helton’s boys from Bowling Green, Kentucky are far more excited about the game than they are concerned.
Helton spoke about the opportunity in front of his football team during his press conference on Monday. He says he believes his players will be ready because of the ‘honor’ it will be to play in front of the Jordan-Hare crowd.
“I’ve always felt like our guys really liked playing in the big arenas. We have good history here at WKU of playing teams that are Power Five opponents and having success. So I don’t think we look much into that,” said Helton. “I think it’s more of a great honor to have the ability to play at a place like Auburn and to play in front of a crowd that’s one of the best in college football, to be honest with you.”
Helton isn’t a stranger to hitting the road with his team to face more stout competition. Over his time at WKU, the Hilltoppers have traveled to Arkansas, Louisville, BYU, Michigan State, and Indiana. They’ve fared well in some of those games as well with a 2019 win in Fayetteville and close losses to the Cardinals and Hoosiers.
After catching some of Auburn’s win against Texas A&M, Helton said the passion the Tiger fanbase has makes them different. With that said, he believes WKU fights with the same dedication that Auburn does which, in turn, should make this weekend’s game an exciting one.
“To have the fan support they had? That says a lot about their program and how passionate they are. And I think it really helped the team,” Helton said. “There’s a lot of pride and honor there. We have a lot of pride and honor on our football team too. So we’re just excited for that opportunity to go to a place like Auburn and play them.”
“We’ll find out how we fare against them, but I think you’ll see two motivated football teams play on Saturday. It should be a good game.”