SMU kickoff delayed by outage

A power outage delayed the start of SMU’s season opener at Florida State on Monday night, interrupting pregame operations at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee. The outage hit shortly before the scheduled 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff, according to local and national reports, and stopped the stadium countdown clock as lights went out in parts of the venue. DallasTexasTV posted on X that the outage had delayed the game and disrupted pregame coverage, while other reports said stadium and broadcast staff were working to restore operations. ### Where did the delay happen, and what was affected? Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee was the site of the outage, and reports said the disruption reached beyond the field itself. Yahoo Sports, citing on-site updates, said the power issue affected the stadium shortly before kickoff, while other coverage said the press box and replay functions were also impacted. The countdown clock inside the stadium stopped at 7:30 p.m. (sports.yahoo.com) Eastern, providing the clearest public marker of when the disruption became visible to fans. DallasTexasTV’s post said pregame coverage was interrupted and that stadium personnel and networks were coordinating on a revised start time. That account matched broader reporting that officials paused normal pregame procedures as crews assessed the outage. ### Which teams were involved, and why was this game on a national stage? (sports.yahoo.com) SMU and Florida State were opening conference play on Labor Day, with SMU entering the game ranked No. 19 in at least some preseason listings cited by multiple outlets. SMU’s official schedule listed the game for Monday, September 7, 2026, in Tallahassee, with a 6:30 p.m. Central start. The school had also described the matchup in advance as a primetime opener against Florida State. (sports.yahoo.com) Florida State was the home team, and the delay came as both programs were preparing for their first game of the 2026 season. Because the game was set for a standalone Monday night window, any delay immediately affected television coverage and in-stadium operations at once. (smumustangs.com) ### How was the delay first communicated to fans? DallasTexasTV published an X post identifying a power outage as the cause of the delay and saying kickoff timing was being reset. National sports outlets soon carried the same core account, reporting that the game would not start on time after the outage at Doak Campbell Stadium. Local coverage in Tallahassee also reported the delay as it unfolded. (sports.yahoo.com) ESPN was referenced in secondary coverage as carrying the game and relaying the initial delay to viewers. Public updates during the stoppage centered on whether stadium systems and broadcast infrastructure were stable enough to begin play. ### Was a cause or exact restart time confirmed right away? (sports.yahoo.com) Early reports did not establish a detailed cause for the outage beyond identifying it as a power failure at the stadium. Coverage reviewed here also did not show an immediate final restart time in the first wave of updates, only that kickoff had been delayed while officials worked through the problem. (saturdaydownsouth.com) That left fans relying on live updates from broadcasters, local reporters and team-linked channels rather than a single formal explanation in the first minutes of the delay. The most consistent confirmed facts were the location, the teams involved and the visible loss of stadium power shortly before kickoff. (sports.yahoo.com) ### What came next for SMU after the delay? SMU’s 2026 schedule lists its next game as a home opener against UC Davis on Saturday, September 12, at Ford Stadium in Dallas. Florida State and SMU were still awaiting a confirmed revised kickoff time in the immediate aftermath of the outage reports reviewed here. (smumustangs.com) (sports.yahoo.com)