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USC-Purdue Delayed Due to Serious Weather, Stadium Evacuated

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Kevin Matthew Borba | Last updated Sep 13, 2025 4:10 PM ET

The Week 3 Big Ten clash between the USC Trojans and Purdue Boilermakers was put on ice as the game's start time approached.

In what is the first meeting between the two teams as conference foes, and the first time they've played one another since 1998, lightning strikes have delayed the game. The rule when it comes to weather is that every time there is a visible lightning strike, the game is delayed 30 minutes. If lightning strikes in the middle of an ongoing delay, that clock is restarted.

As reported by the LA Times' Ryan Kartje, fans were instructed to evacuate the stadium, and according to a local weather report, they may not be able to return for some time.

According to ABC57's chief meteorologist, Tom Coomes, the game appears to be on track to start at around 5:00 p.m. ET at the earliest.

The #Purdue / #USC football game won’t start until closer to 5:00p at the earliest as lightning ⚡️ is still inbound so that 30 minute clock is going to reset a few times. @CBSSports better give the studio crew
a lot more to talk about “Stretch” pic.twitter.com/7NcIIWMTL0
— Tom Coomes (@TomCoomes) September 13, 2025

It's unclear when the game will be able to kick off, but there is a world where a cold and wet game could help Purdue out in the long run.

The Boilermakers came into the game as 20.5-point underdogs, according to Action Network. Still, USC doesn't commonly play in wet conditions in sunny California, which could impact the offense's ability to stick to its game plan.

Both teams came into Saturday with a 2-0 record as USC has outscored its first two opponents 132-33.

As for Purdue, they are already showing improvement under first-year head coach Barry Odom, but with 82 new players, it'll be interesting to see how they fare against a Power 4 opponent.

This story will be updated as more Information becomes available.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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