What it is

Clock management is the use of timeouts, plays and the game clock to give a team the best chance, especially near the end of a half.

In a game

A team behind wants to save time, so it throws passes out of bounds and uses timeouts. A team ahead runs the ball and lets the clock run.

More detail

The rules decide what stops the clock: incomplete passes, going out of bounds, timeouts and penalties. Smart coaches plan the final minutes in advance and know which options keep or waste seconds.