Normally a weather delay on a college football Saturday would result in groans from the Alabama fanbase. But in Week 3, no one will be happier to put a pause on a game than the Crimson Tide.
The game between USF and Alabama at Raymond James Stadium was put on a weather delay because of lightning in the area. A major storm had rolled in and sent a deluge of rain down on both teams but it was the lightning that caused the stoppage.
We're tracking updates on the weather situation in Tampa.
Alabama vs. USF restart time: Weather updates after lightning delay at Raymond James Stadium
This article will be updated as official announcements are delivered.
UPDATE 5:10 p.m. ET: According to Brett McMurphy, the game will resume at 5:30 p.m. ET.
USF announced the delay on social media at 4:45 p.m. ET, asking fans to seek shelter because of the danger of lightning in the area. However, they did not provide an estimate on how long the delay would take.
Alabama was in serious trouble early against the Bulls. New starting quarterback Tyler Buchner struggled to string passes together as the Crimson Tide offensive line found themselves unable to set the tone in the game. Fans on social media were already calling for a quarterback change after four punts to open the game.
To be fair, those fans weren't being overly crazy, the Alabama offense looked even more shaky than they did in the loss to Texas last week.
USF managed a 3-0 lead thanks to an Alabama special teams blunder but momentum was fully on the Bulls side when the game was halted.
That means the delay is likely to favor Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide. However, we won't know which side responds to the break in action better until the game gets underway again.
For now, we're waiting on updates.
