FSU-SMU game turns into old-school football after stadium power outage wipes out in-game communication
Doak Campbell Lights Out, Florida State‑SMU Game Goes On Without Modern Tech
Tall A, Fla. – A power surge that plunged Doak Campbell Stadium into darkness on Monday night forced the Florida State and SMU football teams into a crisis that ultimately led to a historic “old‑school” game with no in‑game communications.
The first‑round ACC match, originally slated to kick off at 7:39 p.m. ET on Labor Day weekend, was halted just as both squads had taken the field. The lights went out minutes before kickoff, leaving officials scrambling to decide whether to postpone the contest or play under the constraints of a complete blackout of all electronic communication.
Over the next hour and a half, representatives from both programs, Florida State’s athletic department, SMU’s coaching staff, and ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips convened three times to weigh options. The consensus was reached at 8:45 p.m. ET: the game would be played on Monday night in Tallahassee, but with no helmet‑to‑helmet radios, no coordinator‑to‑coordinator communications, and no iPads or other digital aids on the sidelines.
“We’re talking about a full, clean‑room approach to the game,” SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee told a post‑meeting briefing. “My team has never practiced without coach‑to‑player communication in over two years, so this is the first time since 2024 that we’ll be on the field with no radios.”
Florida State’s head coach Mike Norvell acknowledged the risk. “We’re already feeling the pressure at the start of the season,” Norvell said, “but we had to decide what was best for the program and for the fans.”
Fans in the stadium, along with those watching from home, were kept engaged through a variety of makeshift measures. The Florida State marching band performed in the stands, and several coaches practiced hand‑signal drills with players before the game. Stadium officials remained hopeful that power would be restored for the second half, though it never fully returned.
The decision to keep the game on Monday also avoided a more disruptive reschedule. SMU had a game against UC Davis on Saturday, and Florida State had a free weekend following the canceled contest. Moving the match to the next day would have required a complex rearrangement of both programs’ schedules and could have impacted the broader ACC calendar.
The game itself proceeded under the unique conditions. Teams were required to rely on traditional play‑calling methods, with no real‑time adjustments possible from the sidelines. The lack of communications added an extra layer of uncertainty for both squads, yet the match still went on, showcasing the players’ adaptability and resilience.
In the end, the Monday night contest was a memorable, if unconventional, moment for college football. It highlighted the importance of contingency planning in stadium operations and underscored how quickly a single power outage can ripple through a season’s schedule.
The final score and detailed play‑by‑play were not included in this brief, but the event remains a striking example of how modern sports can occasionally revert to the basics in the face of unexpected challenges.
