North Carolina State’s game against Notre Dame on Saturday got off to a slow start. Not because of the pace of play, because of the weather.
Kickoff was scheduled for 12:00 p.m. ET and got underway on time. However, shortly after the second quarter began, a large thunderstorm rolled through Raleigh, North Carolina and caused it to be put on pause.
Torrential rain was a major issue, but it was the lightning that forced the stadium to evacuate.
Some of the fans, from both sides, took shelter inside of the concourse as a flash flood warning was put into effect.
Others trekked over to the basketball arena and hung out away from the uncomfortable conditions.
It was a good thing that everybody was asked to leave Carter-Finley Stadium because it was struck by lightning. There was just one casualty — the scoreboard.
The Wolfpack installed a brand-new, state-of-the-art scoreboard prior to the 2023 college football season. It is the 11th-biggest scoreboard in the country and cost $15 million (including the sound system).
Because N.C. State was on the road in Week 1, the scoreboard made its debut during the home-opener on Saturday.
It was working great during the first quarter.
And then it served as a radar for all those inside the stadium trying to see when the weather would pass.
That didn’t last long.
North Carolina State’s scoreboard broke.
The scoreboard was struck by lightning and spazzed out.
Not long thereafter, it went out completely.
The Wolfpack athletic department spent a lot of money to get the scoreboard up and running only to have it rendered useless before its first game even reached halftime. Not ideal!