Deion Sanders faced criticism for how he managed timeouts in Colorado’s first game of the season.

Coach Prime’s Timeout Strategy Sparks Controversy

It seems Coach Prime might want to rethink his approach to managing timeouts.

Dion Sanders, the head coach of Colorado State, faced criticism after a puzzling timeout strategy contributed to his team’s 27-20 loss to Georgia Tech in their season opener.

With a little over a minute left in the game and two timeouts on hand, Buffalo found themselves at their own 25-yard line. Rather than utilizing any timeouts, they opted for a Hail Mary attempt from the 50, which ultimately fell short.

Sanders defended his strategy, although he seemed to struggle with some details following the defeat, especially in the absence of key players like Travis Hunter and quarterback Chedure Sanders.

“I feel we lost our bearings a bit,” Sanders remarked. “So, the timeouts weren’t really necessary in that moment. After our initial play, we made some ground with nine yards.”

“I don’t like going home with timeouts left; they serve no purpose for me. But you’ve got to be tactical as well. I won’t just waste them, and it wouldn’t make sense for you all to question that,” he added.

While Sanders may not have wanted to burn a timeout, he did have chances to do so, despite claims that his team was struggling with boundaries.

Colorado lost two yards on their first attempt while the boundary was still in play, but the team didn’t stop the clock, which only added to the confusion as they snapped the ball with 45 seconds remaining.

The second play netted 11 yards, putting them in a manageable position of third and one.

When Sanders mentioned needing a yard for a first down, it turned out Colorado didn’t snap their next play until just 29 seconds were left.

They secured that first down, as Cadon Salter pushed through the five-yard marker with 18 seconds on the clock, but the game clock stopped due to the first down.

Buffalo used nearly a full minute to cover just 14 yards.

After an incomplete pass on the following play and yet another Hail Mary attempt that fell short, the clock ran out.

“Colorado employed the Elite Trail Miles clock management strategy on that last drive, leading to Georgia Tech’s 27-20 triumph,” tweeted Brett McMurphy of On3Sports.

Former Giants lineman Jeff Schwartz pointed out on social media, “Colorado didn’t use any timeouts on that drive. Poor clock management.”

After the game, Sanders acknowledged his team allowed 463 yards, including 320 rushing, and noted that three Georgia Tech turnovers went uncapitalized.

This match was particularly significant for Sanders, marking his return after battling cancer, which resulted in the removal of his bladder due to a tumor earlier in the offseason.