Updated

Updated · Fox News · Sep 8

SMU, Florida State Play Week 1 Game Without Power or Comms After 66-Minute Outage

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Sep 8

SMU, Florida State Play Week 1 Game Without Power or Comms After 66-Minute Outage

Q: Did the desperate repair effort save the prime-time matchup between Florida State and SMU, or did the blown transformer force a cancellation?

The repair effort had not saved the game as of the latest reports; the matchup was delayed, not canceled. Both the original report and follow-up coverage say Florida State staff tried to restore power after the outage hit just before the 7:30 p.m. kickoff, but the reset attempt failed when a transformer blew. ESPN described a last-ditch “Hail Mary” effort to get the lights back on by around 9 p.m. ET, with the alternative being a possible postponement until the next day if that failed. There was no confirmed cancellation in the latest available information. Instead, both teams left the field at 7:53 p.m. and returned to their locker rooms while officials, school administrators and ACC commissioner Jim Phillips discussed options. SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said both teams had agreed to a short warmup — about 10 minutes — before kickoff if power was restored. So the blown transformer did force a lengthy delay and derailed the scheduled start, but it had not yet forced an outright cancellation based on the available reporting. The game’s status remained unresolved pending the next update from Florida State officials and stadium operations.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 8

8:45 p.m. ET brought the key call: SMU and Florida State agreed to play Monday night despite partial stadium power loss and no helmet, sideline or iPad communication.
A power surge hit Doak Campbell just before the 7:39 p.m. kickoff, sending both teams back to the locker room and extending the delay to about 66 minutes.
9:06 p.m. ET, officials were still rehearsing hand signals with coaches while hoping full power could return by halftime; official replay was also unavailable.
SMU pushed to avoid a Tuesday game because it hosts UC Davis on Saturday, while Florida State has the weekend off, leaving little practical room to reschedule.
The outage turned a Week 1 ACC game into an old-school workaround, forcing both coaches into their first communication-free game setup in years.