While the Richmond Spiders proved to be easy to beat, the only force that gave the NC State Wolfpack a hard time was the weather. The Week 2 game was riddled with weather delays due to lightning in North Carolina, and both teams agreed to cancel halftime.
Watch What’s Trending Now! The weather delay occurred when the Wolfpack thrashed the Spiders 73-0 in their home-season opener on September 11 in the second quarter with 11:33 left on the clock. The hosts had scored 28 points when lightning first threatened the game. Because of the proximity of lightning within an eight-mile radius of Carter-Finley Stadium, players were taken off the field. When officials proposed to skip the 20-minute break, both coaches from opposing programs agreed, as the Spiders had yet to score a single point.
They were trailing behind the Wolfpack, which led by 49 points. According to 247 Sports, fans emptied the venue as well, and the play was suspended. At 8:46 p.m., a lightning bolt struck outside the stadium as heavy rain continued to lash the area. R. Cory Smith of 247 Sports reported that at the time, they expected another 30-minute delay. There was a possibility of the break extending longer than the said time.
The break lasted for roughly the predicted time.
NC State Radio reported that the Spiders and the Wolfpack could resume the game at 9:25 p.m. if there was no threat of lightning in the area. According to the report, fans were allowed to enter the stadium at 9:15 p.m. with no halftime in sight, and the fourth quarter was shortened to 10 minutes.
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Canceling halftime might sound like a quick administrative fix, but in college football, it completely changes the game on the field. Halftime isn’t just a restroom break for fans; it’s a critical 20-minute window where players get hydrated, stretch out cooling muscles, and treat minor bumps. For coaches, it’s the only time they can sit down with whiteboards to rewrite their game plan. Wiping that out forces players to jump straight back into physical contact after sitting cold in the locker room for an hour.
On top of that, television networks are left scrambling, as lost halftime commercial slots and sudden schedule shifts force producers to stretch post-game coverage on the fly. This storm in Raleigh wasn’t an isolated incident either. Severe late-summer storms have already started leaving their mark on the 2026 college football season, echoing the massive weather delay that pushed back the LSU Tigers’ opener just last week by over two hours. When severe lightning cells roll through during kickoff windows, stadium officials and TV crews face a delicate balancing act: protecting thousands of exposed fans in metal bleachers while desperately trying to finish games before local noise curfews and late-night safety hazards kick in. Navigating college football’s weather protocols The NCAA has laid down the rules for when weather conditions delay football games.
If a game is interrupted by lightning in the stadium’s vicinity, the game can be suspended for 30 minutes after the last lightning was recorded. The bolt should be recorded within an 8-10-mile radius of the venue.
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If lightning occurs during the 30-minute break, the clock is reset again. And if the break extends longer than half an hour, players will be granted a brief period for warm-up before taking up the game from where it left off. Football has persevered through dire weather conditions. Snow, low visibility, scorching heat, and even rain have not discouraged the sport’s spirit. Lightning, however, remains an exceptional concern. This is one of the dire situations that could bring a game to a halt.
NC State may have wrapped up a commanding victory, but the night will be remembered for how both programs handled the storm.
By choosing flexibility over tradition, the Wolfpack and Spiders proved that sometimes the best call of the game happens before the second half even starts. Fans were evacuated within the first five minutes of the game as a severe storm and lightning poured down. Purdue eventually won 24-17. There are other instances of long delays, too. TCU vs.
Kansas State in 2017 suffered from a three-hour pregame delay. In 2021, East Carolina vs. Houston was put on a 20-minute hold due to lightning, which then totaled five hours and 18 minutes.
As the Spiders and the Wolfpack suffered setbacks, the better team eventually triumphed. Whether future games are affected by unpredictable weather is to be seen.
