Ash was hired at Montana State on June 11, 2007. Ash's Bobcats went 6–5 in his first season as coach. In 2009 Ash, was named second vice president of the
American Football Coaches Association. Per AFCA tradition, Ash moved up to first vice president in 2010 and became
president in 2011 before giving way to Harvard coach
Tim Murphy the following year. In 2010, Ash guided the Bobcats to a 9–2 regular season record, including a 7–1 mark in the Big Sky Conference. MSU defeated arch rival
Montana 21–16 on the road to win the conference championship and an automatic berth to the FCS postseason. Ash was named the 2010 Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year. In 2011, Ash guided the Cats to another share of the Big Sky Conference title, sharing with the University of Montana, and going to the NCAA playoffs. The Bobcats beat the University of New Hampshire by one in the second round before losing in the quarter finals to Sam Houston State. After the season, Ash was named the 2011 Liberty Mutual FCS Coach of the Year. The 2012 season resulted in a one loss regular season for the Bobcats, and a share of the Big Sky Conference championship, their third in three seasons. Ash was named the Region 5 co-coach of the year for 2012 by the
American Football Coaches Association. Ash was fired at the end of the 2015 season. ==Arkansas==