Power Outage Forces FSU-SMU to Play Old-School Football

A transformer failure blacked out Doak Campbell Stadium, delaying FSU-SMU nearly two hours and forcing both teams to play without helmet communications or replay.

Minutes before Monday night's ACC opener between Florida State and No. ET to 9:15 p.m. According to The Athletic, the outage was caused by an electrical short in the main transformer supplying power, disrupting the west side tower, and hit just as both teams made their pregame entrances. Stadium staff attempted to reset the transformer, which Front Office Sports reports blew out altogether, and both teams returned to their locker rooms as officials huddled on the field.

When the game finally kicked off, it bore little resemblance to a modern college broadcast. There was no coach-to-player helmet communication, no iPads on the sideline, no instant replay, no scoreboard, and no PA announcer because the press box had no electricity. The official clock was kept on the field, forcing ESPN to sync its broadcast clock with officials during commercial breaks. ESPN's Dave Pasch said it would be 'like playing a game in 1990,' while analyst Jimbo Fisher called the decision to play under the limitations 'unbelievable.'

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips was in attendance and on the field during the delay, meeting with athletic directors and coaches roughly every twenty minutes, according to Fox News' OutKick. Phillips told The Athletic the game proceeded 'with the full support of the presidents, athletic directors and head coaches from both schools' once it could be done safely. OutKick reported that officials practiced hand signals with coaches before kickoff, and that sources said delaying to Tuesday would have created problems for SMU, which hosts UC Davis on Saturday.

The embarrassment rippled beyond Tallahassee. Miami's official X account taunted its in-state rival, writing 'The lights are ON at our house. See YOU at Hard Rock on Thursday,' Yahoo Sports reported. The stakes were significant for both programs: Mike Norvell was already considered on the hot seat entering the season, while No. 19 SMU could ill afford an early ACC loss with College Football Playoff hopes in mind, per Yahoo Sports. OutKick noted SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said he had not coached without quarterback communication since 2024.

According to The Athletic, the stadium's technology was restored by halftime, with the game clock, play clock, coach-to-player communication, scoreboard, and replay review all back in working order, though some stands remained dark. Front Office Sports reported that some functions, including communication and a synced clock, returned just before the end of the first half. Fans earned credit from OutKick for sticking around through the chaos, with the Marching Chiefs and games in the stands keeping the crowd engaged.

The outage capped an already bizarre opening weekend of college football, coming after Michigan's controversial clock review against Western Michigan and a lengthy weather delay for LSU-Clemson, as Front Office Sports noted. Florida State entered at 1-0 after beating New Mexico State and now faces a trip to Alabama next, per Yahoo Sports, with the result of Monday's decision sure to linger for one of the two coaches. For a night, Tallahassee proved football can survive without its technology — barely.