His message to the media following the 40-7 season-ending loss to Michigan State was focused on the big picture. Yes, Chris Ash said, the Scarlet Knights had run out of gas in their final three Big Ten games, getting outscored 116-13 against the Spartans, Indiana and Penn State over that stretch.
But no, he insisted, that late-season fade shouldn't diminish how everyone views the overall improvements of the program.
"The message is crystal clear: The same as when we got here," Ash said on Saturday night. "We came here with a vision of what we wanted the program to look like.