Coach-to-player communication restored for Florida State football, SMU

Florida State football and the No. 19-ranked SMU Mustangs regained coach-to-player communication Monday night after a power outage forced both teams to open their ACC clash without the normal in-helmet system.

The restoration returned a key part of standard play-calling during the second quarter of the matchup between the Seminoles and Mustangs, although sideline iPads remained unavailable.

On3 Sports’ Pete Nakos provided the mid-game update on X, formerly Twitter, citing ESPN’s Taylor McGregor as the Week 1 matchup moved toward halftime. SMU carried a 17-10 lead into the break.

“Coach-to-player communication has returned in the SMU-Florida State game, per Taylor McGregor.

iPads are still not working, but that could change at halftime.”

The communication issues stemmed from the electrical failure that delayed kickoff at Doak Campbell Stadium for roughly 1 hour and 45 minutes. A power surge knocked out the stadium lights shortly before the scheduled start, and an attempt to reset the main transformer caused additional problems.

When play finally began around 9:15 p.m. ET, several stadium systems remained unavailable. Florida State and SMU opened the game without coach-to-player helmet communication, while officials also dealt with problems involving the public-address system, referee microphones and the scoreboard clock.

Restoring the helmet system allowed both teams to resume the standard one-way communication used to relay calls to one offensive and one defensive player. FBS programs have used the technology since 2024.

The second half is now underway in Tallahassee. Florida State received the opening kickoff but went three-and-out, punting the ball back to SMU with the Mustangs still holding a 17-10 lead.

The post Coach-to-player communication restored for Florida State football, SMU appeared first on ClutchPoints.