It's always easy to look at the events of a football game after the fact and decide what a team should have done. In this case, however, anybody watching the Miami football game against Georgia Tech on Saturday knew the Hurricanes should have taken a knee with 34 seconds left on the clock and a three point lead. Post-game, Mario Cristobal gave the best answer he could for this head-scratching decision.

“The drive started, [the clock] was going to be at 1:57, and we ran about 1:27 off. And then it was recalibrated. We should've taken a timeout right there at the end,” Cristobal said. “Thought we'd get the first down, and we talked about two hands on the ball. But that's not good enough. Just should've told him to take a knee. That's it.”

On the play in question, it was 3rd-and-10 for Miami, and Georgia Tech had no timeouts. All the Hurricanes had to do was run one play, let the clock run out, and head to the locker room with the win. Instead of kneeling the clock out, they handed the ball to running back Donald Chaney Jr., who fumbled, and Georgia Tech recovered. Georgia Tech then gained 75 yards on two plays and scored a game winning touchdown with one second on the clock.

A reporter followed-up to ask Cristobal if he thought Miami could get the first down on 3rd-and-10, and Cristobal only replied, “we should've taken a knee.”

This was an inexcusable decision and an unfathomable way to lose a game. In college football, where conference losses are so important, Miami football could not afford this loss in this fashion. The Hurricanes face No. 14 North Carolina next week.