Sunday's game between USC and LSU was a thriller that went all the way to the end. Trojans running back Woody Marks scored the game-winning touchdown with eight seconds left to break a 20-20 tie. And if you were in Hawaii, you probably missed it.
With 13 seconds left, KITV, the ABC affiliate in Honolulu, went to a commercial break (N/T Josh Pacheco) and finally the evening news. Eventually, KITV returned to the game, but by this point it was fair to wonder why. The broadcast had been cut off from the game for nearly four minutes. During that time, Marks gave USC the lead with a 13-yard touchdown run, the Trojans kicked off the game, and on the first play of the ensuing drive, USC linebacker Mason Cobb intercepted a pass from LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeyer to seal the game.
When KITV finally returned to broadcast the game, the Trojan defense was celebrating the interception.
Hawaii ABC affiliate KITV4 accidentally played a commercial for the USC-LSU game tied 20-20 with 13 seconds left; the station then briefly switched to Island News.
The game's broadcast resumed nearly four minutes after USC scored the game-tying INT to make it 27-20. 🏈📺😵💫 pic.twitter.com/4FaVHzANgi
— Awful Announcement (@awfulannouncing) September 2, 2024
The only moment shown was when a USC player took a knee to run the final four seconds.
If that sounds familiar, there's probably a reason. It was the second time in as many days that an ABC affiliate accidentally interrupted a college football game at a critical moment. On Saturday, it was KCRG, the ABC affiliate in Eastern Iowa, which, due to a poorly timed commercial missed the most Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price's 47-yard touchdown run against Texas A&M was especially notable because, even though the game was already in the third quarter, it was the first touchdown scored by a player. Neither situation arose from breaking news. Both were nothing more than obvious glitches.
Like the mistake on Saturday, what happened on Sunday was much worse. Price’s touchdown was a huge play. But it was the only play that was missed. KCRG was back in the game after just one commercial. And while it certainly wasn’t known at the time, it wasn’t the game-tying sequence. It happened in the third quarter, Texas A&M tied the game later, and Notre Dame scored 10 points in the final two minutes to win the game. As far as we know, KCRG’s pitch was fine while all this was happening.
Sunday's glitch was much longer. It also happened at the worst possible time in the game.