Coach Prime took full responsibility for the Buffs first game and loss of the season to Georgia Tech 27-20, but should we be worried? It’s a bit early to tell, and the loss against Georgia Tech came down to the wire which most fans think could have been avoided had the Buffs coaching staff used better judgement with clock management and general play calling during the 4th quarter. It was very clear how disappointed the fans were feeling as time winded down, but during the press conference after the game Coach Prime” had this to say in his response to the criticism.
“Okay, let’s just get the cat out the bag. All right first down, we throw a lateral pass, right? We lose four or five yards. Do you call a timeout there? No, you’re right there. You don’t call a timeout there. You’ve got to go. You’ve got to go. So, you’re running tempo, right? So, the next play, what? You gain I guess 14 yards? No, you got third and one, right? Do you call a timeout there? Third and one. You get the first down the clock stops. Correct? So, you get the first down, the clock stopped. Okay, scramble play, he ran out of bounds the clock stopped. Right? Now we throw the ball out the end zone. Clock stopped. Right. So, when was the time to call a timeout? I’m just getting the elephant out the room you know what you want to say. I’m just trying to help you help me. Everything has it’s purpose man. Sometimes it just don’t go like it’s supposed to go.”
– Colorado Buffs Head Coach, Deion Sanders
As most can agree, that was surely an awful way to lose that game, but every single player who stepped on that field for Colorado must take accountability for the way they gave that game away. Georgia Tech earned that win, but as for CU, there were far too many missed passes, tackles, and coaching opportunities that go far beyond the final drive of the game. The defense has got to lock in and not allow opposing teams to end the night with 47 rushing attempts on 320 total yards on the ground. If an offense can run the ball down the throat of an opposing team like that on demand, there is no need to pass the ball. The easiest way to expose a defensive line is to average 5 yards in each gap all game. Coach Warren Sapp will need to conjure up an entirely different scheme for the defensive line to stop the run and force the pass. Pat Shurmur and Coach Sanders more than likely knowing their work ethic and pride, will look to bounce back and hit the drawing board to prepare for what looks to be an even tougher matchup against Delaware next weekend at Folsom Stadium.
Dante Robinson | Senior NCAA College Football Analyst for The NSR Network
