Add The New York Post on Google Florida State’s home game against No. 19 SMU plunged into chaos after a partial power outage left the two sides wondering if their contest would have to be postponed.
The teams began their ACC opener in Tallahassee, Fla., after a nearly two-hour delay, even though full power was not restored. The lights went out at 7:29 p.m., right before the expected kickoff.
The game started at 9:15 p.m in a partially lit stadium with limited electronic use by both teams — including the clock kept on the field, no coach-to-player communication and no iPads.
Florida State’s scoreboard displays a message during a stadium-wide power outage before an NCAA college football game against SMU on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in Tallahassee, Fla. AP Photo/Noah Lantor There was booth-to-sideline communication, but there was no PA announcer or scoreboard, ESPN’s Taylor McGregor reported on the broadcast.
“They believe they have enough lights to play this game, McGregor said.
SMU coach Rhett Lashlee told her that his team had not practiced without coach-to-player communication in two years.
Before the decision was made to restart, ESPN reported there were around 30 people — including the ACC commissioner and both schools’ athletic directors and presidents — in a room at 8:15 p.m. and that they were throwing a “Hail Mary to get the power back on” and were on their “last option.”
Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell and Southern Methodist Mustangs head coach Rhett Lashlee talk during a delay due to a power outage before a game at Doak S. Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida, on Monday. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect McGregor added that playing the game on Tuesday was a possibility.
This was the season opener for SMU, which jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead, and Florida State enters off a win over New Mexico State.
