Florida State's home game against No. 19 SMU was thrown into disarray Tuesday evening due to a partial power outage that led to a delay of nearly two hours before kickoff. The stadium experienced a power loss at 7:29 p.m., just before the scheduled start of the ACC opener in Tallahassee, Florida.
Despite full power not being restored, the game eventually commenced at 9:15 p.m. under partially lit conditions. The outage significantly limited electronic capabilities for both teams, impacting the stadium clock, coach-to-player communication, and the use of iPads. While booth-to-sideline communication was operational, there was no public address announcer and no scoreboard functionality, according to ESPN reports.
![A scoreboard at Florida State University stadium displays "GAME DELAYED POWER OUTAGE" before a football game against SMU.]( "A scoreboard at Florida State University stadium displays "GAME DELAYED POWER OUTAGE" before a football game against SMU.")
SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee noted that his team had not practiced without coach-to-player communication in two years. Officials, including the ACC commissioner and athletic directors and presidents from both universities, were reportedly in discussions as late as 8:15 p.m. evaluating options, with playing the game on Tuesday being a potential contingency if power could not be restored.
This game marked the season opener for SMU, which went on to secure a 27-24 victory. Florida State entered the contest following a previous win against New Mexico State.