‘Like Playing a Game in 1990’: SMU and FSU Play Amid Power Outage

The final game of Week 1 of the college football season, SMU at Florida State, kicked off Monday night after a nearly two hour delay due to a power outage at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee.

Originally scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET, the game finally kicked off at 9:15 p.m. ET—under highly unusual circumstances. 

When the game kicked off, not all stadium lights were operational. Referees were keeping the official game clock on the field, so ESPN’s clock on the broadcast was unofficial; the network synced it with officials during each commercial break to keep it as accurate as possible. Teams did not have access to coach-to-player helmet communication systems or iPads. Instant replay was not available. And the game did not use a PA announcer, as there was no electricity in the press box.

“This is a bare-bones production here,” ESPN pre-game host Taylor Tannenbaum said just before kickoff. Tannenbaum and analysts Jimbo Fisher, Eric Mac Lain, and Eddie Royal were tasked with keeping viewers engaged throughout the delay. Fisher called the decision to play amid the limitations “unbelievable” and Royal said he “would move the game.” But Mac Lain said the teams should “do whatever you can to get this game done.”

Dave Pasch, set to do the game’s play-by-play, said just before kickoff that it would be “like playing a game in 1990.”

ESPN sideline reporter Taylor McGregor provided real-time updates throughout the evening. When some lights initially went out just before 7:30, stadium staff attempted to reset the transformer, which ended up blowing out altogether, McGregor said.

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips was in attendance and on the field during the delay, staying in communication with the athletic directors of both FSU and SMU. Coaches from both teams were involved in meetings during the delay as all parties attempted to find the best solution.

Delaying the game—the first of both team’s nine-game ACC slates this season—until Tuesday was mentioned as a possibility. FSU has a bye week in Week 2 so the impact on the Seminoles would have been minimal. SMU, however, is scheduled to host UC Davis on Saturday in Texas.

A few minutes before the end of the first half, some technological functions returned, including coach-to-player communication and a synced-up game clock.

The situation Monday night created a wild finish for Week 1 of the season and came after the Michigan clock controversy on Saturday and a lengthy weather delay for Clemson-LSU.