- Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt criticized Colorado head coach Deion Sanders for poor clock management in a recent loss.
- Klatt, a Colorado alum and frequent Sanders supporter, called clock management the ‘weakest part’ of Sanders’ coaching.
- The criticism stems from a game where Colorado failed to use two timeouts in the final 67 seconds.
Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt frequently has praised Colorado football coach Deion Sanders for how he’s resurrected the football program at Klatt’s alma mater since 2023. But the former Colorado quarterback had some harsh criticism for Sanders this week after the Buffaloes didn’t use their final two timeouts in the final 67 seconds of a 27-20 loss against Georgia Tech on Aug. 29.
In a guest appearance Wednesday Sept. 3 on Denver radio station 104.3 The Fan, Klatt reminded listeners that Sanders “has done so many things well” in Boulder after taking over a team that was 1-11 in 2022.
“Having said that, the weakest part of Coach Prime as a coach is his clock management, by a wide margin,” Klatt said. “They continue to struggle in this regard every single year, and I thought it would start to improve and it did not.”
Klatt’s criticism stands out because he’s been a vocal believer in Sanders, who was hired at Colorado in December 2022. At the same time, Sanders recently doubled down in defense of his clock management as his team prepares to host Delaware in a 3:30 p.m.. ET game Saturday.
What was the issue with Deion Sanders’ management?
With his team down 27-20 with 1:07 left, Colorado quarterback Kaidon Salter took over at Colorado’s own 25- yard line with two timeouts remaining. The Buffaloes had a chance to tie the game or win but kept the ball inbounds on the first two plays of the drive while the clock ticked down to 29 seconds remaining to start third down.
Sanders never used his last two timeouts and Colorado lost after attempting a final 50-yard Hail Mary pass with three seconds left.
“I was incredibly unhappy and displeased, if you will, with the way that that went, because you can’t just take your timeouts into the locker room,” Klatt said on 104.3 The Fan. “And they gave themselves no chance, in particular when you’re sitting in a situation where you’ve got to go and you’ve got to score a touchdown.
“Any time that you’re going to lose 20 seconds once it’s inside of a minute, you’ve got to call a timeout, guys. So the ball has to go outside of the numbers (toward the sideline) or past the chains (for a first down). And if it doesn’t, that timeout has to be called immediately. They could have saved probably three, more like four snaps of the football, just through management. And four snaps is a big deal. It’s a massive deal, so that continues to be a disappointment.”
What was Deion Sanders’ reason for not calling timeouts?
Sanders said he didn’t need to use timeouts because some plays went out of bounds to stop the clock and because the Buffs were running “tempo” to move for a quick score. But much of the time wasted came on those first two plays that ended inbounds as nearly 30 seconds ticked off after them before the third snap.
Colorado finished 9-4 last year in Sanders’ second season and is a regular attraction on national television. Last week’s game was on ESPN. Saturday’s game is on Fox. Next week’s game at Houston is on ESPN.
“It’s certainly the weakest part of what they’ve got going on as a program,” Klatt said. “And it has to improve, in particular because with that league (the Big 12 Conference), guys, there’s not a lot of differentiation between all of those teams. It’s a small margin between the teams of the Big 12. So they’re going to be in one-possession games, and the management of the clock is going to be a big deal on more than one occasion. And so that has to improve.”
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com