SMU defeats Florida State following two-hour power outage delay

No. 19 SMU defeated Florida State 27-24 in a highly unusual Labor Day matchup at Doak Campbell Stadium, a game marked by a nearly two-hour delay caused by a power outage. The electrical disruption, attributed to a transformer short, occurred just before the scheduled 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff, knocking out stadium lights, the scoreboard, the public address system, and sideline technology such as iPads and coach-to-player communication.

Despite the technical chaos, the game proceeded at approximately 9:15 p.m. ET under limited lighting. SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings led the Mustangs with 430 passing yards, including three touchdowns. Florida State struggled offensively, managing only two conversions on 15 third-down attempts.

The victory was celebrated by SMU with a postgame tradition involving a sledgehammer and a slab featuring the Florida State logo. Meanwhile, Florida State head coach Mike Norvell faced criticism from fans following the loss and the stadium's technical failures.