Power Outage Leaves College Football Game in The Dark and Without Replays: ‘That’s Insane’

Screenshots

They couldn’t tackle this problem quick enough.

A college football game in Tallahassee was put on hold for an hour and 40 minutes after a power outage plunged the stadium in Tallahassee into darkness, ESPN reported.

Fans were left waiting as the game between Florida State University and Southern Methodist University — which was expected to kick off at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Doak Campbell Stadium — was put on hold, with at least one group making the best of it by whipping off their shirts and waving them above their heads like rally towels while they chanted.

ESPN shared footage of the darkened stadium and the fans trying to make the best of it.

“There’s been a power outage here at Doak Campbell, we have no power up here in our booth or the entire press box,” announcer Dave Pasch explained at one point as the camera panned over the packed facility.

The power outage led to serious limitations during the game once it began, including no coach to player communication, and no replays, ESPN reported.

The game is being played under unusual conditions, with power only back in a limited capacity at Doak Campbell Stadium. Replay reviews will not be available for officials, the game clock will be kept on the field with the scoreboard not functioning and communication options between coaches and players are limited — a few of the several problems both [teams] face in the wake of the outage Monday evening.

A panel of analysts marveled at the restrictions, including former NFLer turned analyst Eddie Royal, who said simply: “That’s insane,” as the game was about to get underway.

Jimbo Fischer marveled at the changes the teams would deal with due to the lack of electricity.

“You know what gets me,” he said. “No helmet to helmet communication. Those guys haven’t been signaling, they haven’t been doing it. … That communication is so vital.”

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!