Florida State-SMU Game Delayed Due to Power Outage

Florida State's home game against No. 19 SMU experienced a significant delay due to a partial power outage, which raised concerns about whether the game would need to be postponed. The outage occurred at 7:29 p.m., just before the scheduled kickoff. Despite the delay, the game began at 9:15 p.m. in a partially lit stadium with limited electronic capabilities for both teams, including the clock being kept on the field, lack of coach-to-player communication, and no iPads available for use. Communication from the booth to the sideline was still possible, but there was no public address announcer or scoreboard operational, as reported by ESPN’s Taylor McGregor. SMU coach Rhett Lashlee noted that his team had not practiced without coach-to-player communication for two years. Prior to the decision to restart the game, around 30 individuals, including the ACC commissioner and the athletic directors and presidents from both schools, were in discussions at 8:15 p.m. about the power situation, with ESPN describing their efforts as a 'Hail Mary' to restore power. There was also speculation about the possibility of playing the game on Tuesday. Ultimately, SMU secured a 27-24 victory in what was their season opener, while Florida State came off a previous win against New Mexico State.