But pitcher after pitcher followed Oswalt, the zeroes remained on the scoreboard and things grew more and more consequential.
The large scoreboard at the end of the field will feature the High Point Solutions logo, he said, but he sounded as if the the words "The Birthplace of College Football" will remain on the scoreboard, too.
The Superdome never went completely dark — a few banks of lights remained on throughout the delay — but the light was dim, the scoreboards were black, and CBS lost much of its ability to broadcast.
Of course, the only tally that matters, in the end, is the one on the scoreboard.
With 12 minutes remaining Ospreys finally got themselves on the scoreboard as Scarlets failed to roll away from a tackle, allowing Biggar to make it 6-3 and set up a nervous, thrilling finale.
The game remained tight on the field and on the scoreboard as O'Gara and Goode - finally - traded penalties, with Shaw sent to the bin for a bit of off-the-ball attention on Peter Stringer.
Rutledge made it pay when he spotted a gap in the Jersey defensive line to get his side on the scoreboard with seconds remaining.
With less than five minutes remaining, the only points to be put on the scoreboard came from Alabama kicker Jeremy Shelley, who tied a bowl record with five field goals.
For Tipsarevic, it was also a victory, but one not seen on the scoreboard.
Chesapeake finally got on the scoreboard with 46 seconds remaining in the second quarter when Schoonmaker scored off a jump shot.
Ireland did hit back to score two tries through Marcus Horan and Geordan Murphy, but Wales were too far ahead on the scoreboard and saw out the remaining minutes to claim the Grand Slam.
