Why the Alabama-USF Broadcast on ABC Looked So Weird

Viewers watching the Alabama game Saturday had a strange surprise in the first half.

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After a delay for lightning In the second quarter, the game resumed...though looking a little different The broadcast had suddenly switched to a wide view of the stadium from above.

ABC Screengrab

Strange View of Alabama-USF Game

A bit of an odd viewing experience.

And since the Alabama team was on the road, most Crimson Tide fans had to endure this bird's eye view as their players regained the lead over South Florida in the second quarter.

Misery loves company, though, and many folks took to Twitter to vent about the situation.

Very frustrated fans. But there were jokes, too:

The reason for the wide view of the stadium was explained by broadcaster, Bob Wischusen. It was directly related to the lightning strike in the area.

"Our cameraman have not been cleared to return to their positions," said Wischusen, "despite of the fact that the game resumed. He expressed that hopefully in the second half things would return to normal, but at that time: "We're forced to use these wide angle shots."

It's unclear why the players and fans could return safely, while the camera operators could not.

But nevertheless, the game continue with the Tide taking home the win.