Doak Campbell Stadium lost power just as No. 19 SMU and Florida State ran out for their Labor Day ACC opener.
A transformer on the west side of the stadium failed at 7:30 p.m. ET. Kickoff finally came around 9:15 p.m. after a nearly two-hour delay. ACC commissioner Jim Phillips met both athletic directors on the field.
The game continued with limited power. Not every stadium light was back. Teams played without coach-to-player communication, without tablets, without a public-address announcer, and without a working scoreboard or public game clock. Officials kept time.
ACC Network: Doak loses power before kickoff
ESPN: SMU vs Florida State under power-outage conditions
Within about an hour of the blackout, Miami posted an Instagram of Hard Rock Stadium with working spotlights and the caption “The lights are ON at our house,” plus a nod to Thursday’s home opener.
The live scoreboard belongs on Beat Chuck. Soft line only: SMU and Florida State were tied late in the third when this card filed.
