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    • ESPN College GameDay at Indiana Football, Lee Corso Surprise
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    ESPN College GameDay at Indiana Football, Lee Corso Surprise

    Kathleen William Posted on

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    BLOOMINGTON – Rece Davis will voluntarily add a “big asterisk” to ESPN GameDay's first visit to Bloomington seven years ago, promising the entire Saturday show will feature even more memorable moments this time.

    Davis, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and the GameDay crew traveled across town for the Hoosiers' Thursday night opener in 2017, Tom Allen's first game as head coach. Facing No. 2 Ohio State at the time, IU led at halftime before ultimately losing 49-21. It was a scaled-down version of ESPN's iconic Saturday morning showpiece to kick off college football Saturday, with no fans around a stadium set and no score pickers.

    This time – for the first time ever – IU football fans are getting the full experience, and Davis can't wait to give it to them.

    IU is “the talk of the country.” Who saw this coming? Curt Cignetti did.

    Indiana Football vs. Washington: What you need to know for Saturday's game

    “I’m excited to join the ranks of Indiana fans,” said Davis, GameDay’s longtime onstage host. “We were at the stadium in 2017 and it was a great evening and the people were enthusiastic. But it’s very special to experience the entire show and the entire three hours and start the day of football.”

    The countdown to GameDay will be broadcast live from Memorial Stadium's south lawn and begin at 8:30 a.m. The entire show starts 30 minutes later.

    That means the entire cast of characters, including numerous contributors with strong ties to Indiana.

    Corso coached at Indiana for 10 years from 1972 to 1981. Former Colts player Pat McAfee still lives in Indianapolis. Retired Alabama coach Nick Saban employed IU's Curt Cignetti as wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator from 2007 to 2010.

    Kyle Schwarber, an All-American during his IU baseball career and World Series champion with the Cubs in 2016, will serve as a guest selector.

    In summary, GameDay's cast on set can provide a comprehensive look at the reasons that made Cignetti so successful so quickly early in his tenure at Indiana, as well as what that success means to IU fans.

    “The adjective I used is 'crisp,'” Davis said of Indiana. “You execute. They are not sloppy. There is no confusion.”

    As of Friday, students had already set up campsites where they planned to stay near the GameDay set so they could arrive as soon as the pit area opens at 6:30 a.m

    GameDay hosts and producers have often spoken in the past about how they enjoy visiting campuses that haven't hosted the show, as was the case at Cal earlier this season. Davis sees a similar energy ahead of Saturday.

    “If you start it early in the morning, you're sure to have people camping out and being loud and excited. There’s just something inspiring about it,” Davis said. “It has a completely different energy.”

    Saturday marks an especially emotional homecoming for Corso, whose 1979 Holiday Bowl team — the first in IU history to win a bowl game — is already in town for a planned reunion. GameDay is planning some special moments honoring Corso and his team on Saturday and will keep an eye on them until the reveal.

    It will be one of many memories Davis wants fans to take away from Bloomington's first full GameDay visit.

    “The way we open the show tomorrow I think will be special,” Davis said. “I won't give it away, but I think it will be special, both for the people who come to the show and for the people who watch it on TV.”

    Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU athletics podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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    Kathleen William
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