On 3rd and 6, West Virginia quarterback Nicco Marchiol dropped back and had immediate pressure in his face. He scrambled and threw a high-arching ball to the near sideline, and sophomore running back Clay Ash came down with the ball, picking up the chains, setting up for three of 10 points scored in the comeback in the Backyard Brawl.

On the game-tying touchdown drive, Ash caught another pass out of the backfield, making a third and long into a third and manageable. The next play, Marchiol hit tight end Grayson Barnes for 34 yards over the middle of the field.

On the final two drives of regulation, Ash rushed five out of seven times for positive yards and had two catches.

Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi compared Ash to former Arizona State do-it-all and current New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo.

“He’s a pretty good running back, for sure,” Ash said on the comparison.

Ash wasn’t as efficient as Tye Edwards running the ball, but he’s carved out a crucial role in the passing game. Ash had four catches for 32 yards, including that big 15-yard pickup during the comeback. He said his catching ability came from when he played slot receiver in high school.

“Coach Rod tries to use all of his players to the best of their ability to put them in the best situations,” Ash said. “He might put me out there a little bit to catch the ball, and I’m comfortable catching the ball.”

Ash didn’t have a normal path to become a prominent piece of the offense and one of the two running back options in Rich Rodriguez’s offense. Ash started playing in Virginia, where he grew up, and then headed down to IMG Academy, which is a premier prep school for all sports, especially football. It’s one of the nicest high schools and is a school for the best high school athletes in the country.

Being able to attend IMG, Ash received a boost of confidence.

“Just kind of getting a college feel,” Ash said. “How they operate is very college-level, and obviously, the competition is great down in Florida.”

Most of the athletes there are expected to receive offers from Power Four schools and to be professional athletes down the road. Ash wasn’t highly recruited, though. The only school that really contacted him throughout the whole high school process was WVU, but for a walk-on offer.

Even with all the high-level talent on the roster, Ash didn’t feel like he was overshadowed, leading him to receive no offers.

“I’m not really sure that had to do with me being overlooked, necessarily,” Ash said. “They have great talent on there, for sure. I think that kind of helps everybody there, brings eyes to new people.”

Ash lived just three hours east of Morgantown, and the walk-on description reflected how he operated as an underdog. He has put on 10 pounds since he arrived two years ago, and has worked his way to become the starter against Pitt.

During Ash’s press conference on Tuesday, he showed up with a “Take them to the deep end shirt.” What does that mean?

“We’re comfortable in the deep end,” Ash said. “We’re comfortable being uncomfortable. Kind of hard edge mentality. We’re comfortable being in that.”

Ash’s whole path was uncomfortable and unorthodox, just like the meaning of his shirt. Without Jahiem White, Ash’s role in the offense has become more important, especially on third and long.

“Definitely was not entirely my vision, but I’m blessed for it,” Ash said. “I’m grateful that it happened.”