Deion Sanders Defends Clock Management, Not Using Timeouts in Colorado Loss to GT

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders explained his reasoning for holding onto two timeouts with the clock winding down during the team's 27-20 loss to Georgia Tech on Friday.

"OK, let's just get the cat out of the bag," Sanders told reporters Tuesday (h/t David Ubben of The Athletic). "First down we throw a lateral pass, right? We lose four or five yards. Do you call timeout there? No, you're right there. You gotta go, you're running tempo.

"The next play you gain 14 yards, whatever. Now you've got third-and-one. Do you call timeout there? If you get the first down, the clock stops. He scrambles, runs out of bounds, the clock stops. Then we throw the ball out the end zone, clock stops. So when was the time to call timeouts?"

After Georgia Tech scored a late touchdown to take a seven-point lead in Friday's contest, Colorado received the ball with just over one minute left in the fourth quarter and 75 yards to go. The Buffaloes also had two timeouts remaining.

Colorado only ended up running six plays during the ensuing drive, getting to the 50-yard line before a Hail Mary from quarterback Kaidon Salter fell incomplete to end the game. The team still had a pair of timeouts available as time ran out.

The defeat marked Sanders' first loss in a season-opener throughout his head coaching career, including his three seasons at Jackson State.

Georgia Tech dominated Colorado on the ground throughout Friday's contest, rushing for 320 yards as a team and averaging 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, the Buffaloes finished with 146 rush yards.

Despite the disappointing final drive from Colorado, Sanders stood behind his clock management.