The start of Monday’s Week 1 finale between No. 19 SMU and Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla., was delayed because of a power outage at Doak Campbell Stadium.
With the teams on the field and the game about to begin just before 7:30 p.m., all the lights inside the stadium went out. The teams remained on the sidelines for nearly 20 minutes while stadium personnel attempted to fix the problem, but they elected to return to the locker rooms with the lights still out and insufficient natural light to begin play.
The ESPN broadcast reported that the transformer blew during an attempt to reset it and restore power to the stadium. A backup plan is being developed.
ACC commissioner Jim Phillips told ESPN that an update is expected at 8:20 p.m.
“They kept saying they hope five to 10 (minutes),” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said on the broadcast when asked if he was told a timeline for a fix. “They found the problem. I think they’re going to get it fixed. We just don’t know if it’s 10 minutes, 20 minutes. At this point, let’s go in (to the locker room), come out and get the guys loose so nobody gets hurt and play when the lights come on.”