Week 3 of college football got slammed by Mother Nature, with major games across the Southeast getting hit with lightning and rain delays. It was the No. 10 Alabama vs. Florida State clash that felt the storm’s fury twice, once with FSU holding a late second-quarter lead, totally messing with the flow of what was supposed to be a marquee matchup.
Twice the Lightning, Twice the Delay in Tuscaloosa
The first punch from the sky landed a little over 30 minutes before kickoff at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Lightning in the area meant a delay, sending most fans out of the stands, though the student section held strong. Both teams were forced off the field and back into their locker rooms while players were just getting into their pregame warmups. Davis Baker from WSFA 12 News tweeted, “We’re in a lightning delay here in Tuscaloosa. Everyone has cleared out except for the student section.” Curt Weiler confirmed the news from the press box: “We’re in a lightning delay here in Tuscaloosa. Pregame warmups have stopped.” Local radar showed serious storm cells rolling in, as Danielle shared online, “Storms moving through Tuscaloosa have caused a lightning delay.” After a tentative schedule, pregame warmups were set for 4:35 p.m. ET, with kickoff pushed to 5:15 p.m. ET.
Mother Nature’s Encore: More Lightning, More Rain
The game actually kicked off at 5:15 p.m. ET, just as expected. But you know how these things go, sometimes the weather just isn’t done yet. With less than three minutes left in the second quarter, Florida State was holding a 21-13 lead over No. 10 Alabama when BAM, another lightning strike cleared the field again. Theodore Fernandez posted, “Alabama and Florida State are back in a lighting delay.” Following lightning protocols, this second pause was expected to last at least 30 minutes, with the ESPN broadcast saying the game was set to resume at 7:02 p.m. ET. It wasn’t just Tuscaloosa getting soaked, either. The North Carolina at Clemson game was already midway through the fourth quarter with North Carolina up 17-15, after Clemson had rallied from a 17-6 halftime deficit, when it too got put on hold for lightning. Despite appearing clear for an hour, the rain eventually just poured down, as Spencer Haskell observed, “The weather has commenced in Clemson after over an hour of a pretty non-eventful weather delay.” Oh, and Mississippi State vs. South Carolina? Also placed into a delay.
When these games finally get going again, it’s not just about finishing Week 3, it’s about seeing if these teams can get their momentum back after getting completely derailed by Mother Nature. You just gotta wonder how these delays mess with a squad’s head.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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