Much anticipation had built ahead of the Week 1 showdown between the SMU Mustangs and the Florida State Seminoles. However, the wait for the Mustangs’ season debut will take longer, as kickoff has been delayed due to a power outage at the stadium.
The Seminoles hosted the New Mexico State Aggies last week for a night game, and the lights worked just fine. However, with all eyes in college football set on the action at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida, a power outage has led to a long delay.
After waiting around for a while for the power to be restored, both head coaches agreed to head back inside and wait—probably in the dark—for the lights to come back on. It sure rings a bell for fans across college football, as Lane Kiffin’s debut with LSU against Clemson was also delayed, though due to inclement weather.
Contrary to what happened in Tallahassee, Kiffin actually disclosed his role behind the weather delay ahead of LSU’s win over Clemson. In this case, neither head coach has anything to do with the issue.
A general view of Bobby Bowden field at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.
Power outage at Doak Campbell Stadium
Contrary to weather delays, which are pretty common in college football, a delay due to a power outage brings much more uncertainty. There is no fixed timeline for the game to resume, and it can only be addressed once the issue is actually solved.
According to ESPN’s broadcast team in Tallahassee, the stadium’s staff has already discovered where the issue is coming from but hasn’t been able to solve it just yet. For the time being, it puts kickoff on hold. At some point, the risk of the game being postponed might become real.
Although fans appear to have no trouble waiting around in the humidity and darkness, it’s far from ideal. However, as soon as the lights come up and the game can start, it will all be a fading memory, and perhaps the butt of a joke. How many Florida State staff members does it take to change a light bulb?
