Hoosiers Now

LIVE BLOG: ESPN College GameDay Previews Indiana-Washington in Bloomington

ESPN's College GameDay is in Bloomington on Saturday for Indiana's game against Washington. Follow along for live updates of the pregame show.

Jack Ankony

Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit host the ESPN College GameDay show.
Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit host the ESPN College GameDay show. / Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It's a special day for the Indiana football program, with ESPN College GameDay in Bloomington ahead of Saturday's game between No. 13 Indiana (7-0) and Washington (4-3).

College GameDay previously came to Indiana for the 2017 season opener, but it was a Thursday night show inside the stadium. This year's show comes with the full GameDay experience.

It's also a homecoming of sorts for Lee Corso, who was Indiana's head coach from 1973-82 and won the program's first bowl game in 1979. He's in Bloomington as part of College GameDay's cast, along with Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee and Nick Saban.

In our live blog below, we'll share updates and highlights from the College GameDay pregame show, running from 9 a.m. ET to noon.

11:58 a.m. – Desmond Howard and Kirk Herbstreit picked Washington. Howard cites Indiana playing a backup quarterback against a good Washington defense as his reason. Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, Kyle Schwarber and Lee Corso picked Indiana. Corso wore a 1979 Holiday Bowl hat while making his pick.

11:46 a.m. – Kyle Schwarber is decked out in Indiana gear, wearing an IU baseball helmet, IU football jersey and candy stripe pants.

11:36 a.m. – Former Indiana baseball player and World Series champion Kyle Schwarber is the guest picker on College GameDay: "It's special. Coach Cig's got these guys rolling."

11:32 a.m. – ESPN's Pete Thamel reports that Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke threw yesterday, and they're optimistic about his return next week at Michigan State.

11:29 a.m. – "It may not really matter who's at the quarterback position," Desmond Howard said. Nick Saban said it's less about Tayven Jackson's physical ability and more about the importance of him processing what the Washington defense is showing him.

11:27 a.m. – Pat McAfee is giving a lot of credit to Indiana's offensive line and running backs Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton for the Hoosiers' offensive success.

11:25 a.m. – Rece Davis said Indiana's coaching staff sold Tayven Jackson on staying at Indiana and learning from Kurtis Rourke and the staff to aid his development.

11:16 a.m. – Curt's wife, Manette, on Curt's personality: "I haven't seen this side of him. This has kind of lit fire under him, and I think he's trying to light a fire in everyone else." Wide receiver Elijah Sarratt, who played for Cignetti at James Madison, said he's seen Cignetti carry himself with more swagger at Indiana.

11:14 a.m. – Curt Cignetti said people may see him as cocky and abrasive because of his "Google Me" quote and saying that Purdue, Michigan and Ohio State suck at the basketball game. "I did that, I gotta own that. Is that who I am? I guess it's part of who I am, because I did it," Cignetti said.

11:03 a.m. – Salles hooked the first kick wide left. He got another chance, this time for $150,000, but he also missed it wide left. "You're gonna go on to do great things, kid, but you suck at kicking and that's a beautiful thing." McAfee said.

10:57 a.m. – Jeram Salles is the Indiana student participating in Pat McAfee's kicking contest. If he makes the kick, he gets $100,000.

10:54 a.m. – They're handing out steaks and dessert from Janko's Little Zagreb to the GameDay cast.

10:35 a.m. – Corso is on the GameDay set with members of the 1979 Holiday Bowl team and the Mayor of Bloomington Kerry Thomson. "Today in Bloomington, we are declaring it Lee Corso Day. Our coaches lead people who change lives, and this team was led to greatness by you, coach."

10:32 a.m. – Corso telling the story of Indiana's win over BYU in the Holiday Bowl. BYU missed a 27-yard field goal at the end of the game, which gave the Hoosiers a 38-37 win. Corso told the team's traveling priest, "Father Higgins, it's you against eight million Mormons." Higgins said a prayer, the kick missed, and the Hoosiers won. "Thank you God," Corso told Father Higgins.

10:30 a.m. – The 1979 Holiday Bowl team is having its 45-year reunion this weekend. GameDay is showing a video of players eating dinner with Corso last night. "Thank you coach, you changed my life," Mark Deal, a former Indiana player and coach said.

10:28 a.m. – GameDay showing that Indiana leads the nation at 48.7 points per game. McAfee is crediting a lot of Indiana's success to strength coach Derek Owings. McAfee said Indiana received a $1 million donation from a donor to renovate the weight room this offseason.

10:17 a.m. – Ray Jackson, Tayven Jackson's father, is being interviewed now. "We believe in him, and he believes in himself," Ray said. Ray played defensive back at Washington State in the 1990s. Rece Davis said that Ray told Tayven he could go to school anywhere besides Michigan and Washington.

10:09 a.m. – Cignetti led a "Go IU, Go IU" chant as he left the GameDay set, then said "I got work to do."

10:08 a.m. – Curt Cignetti on Tayven Jackson: "We're gonna attack, attack, attack." Cignetti said they have confidence in him and he has a lot of ability.

10:06 a.m. – Curt Cignetti said the culture change at Indiana started over the winter when he flipped the roster. "Those guys facilitated the culture change," Cignetti said of the 13 James Madison transfers that joined him. He said the Hoosiers that returned to IU had a chip on their shoulder. He felt Indiana had a real chance to win because of its favorable schedule.

10:05 a.m. – Curt Cignetti: "These people were starving for success, and they got a little taste of it and wanted more and more and more, and this is what it's become. But guess what, we gotta do our part today."

10:03 a.m. – They're showing the replay of Curt Cignetti at Assembly Hall last December, when he hyped up the fans by saying, "Purdue sucks. But so does Michigan and Ohio State!"

10:02 a.m. – Curt Cignetti said Lee Corso sent the Cignetti family a cross when his father, Frank Cignetti, was diagnosed with cancer years ago. The family really appreciated that.

10:01 a.m. – Curt Cignetti has joined the GameDay set.

9:43 a.m. – Pat McAfee on Indiana quarterback Tayven Jackson: "He has all the tools that you could possibly need to be great."

9:41 a.m. – GameDay is discussing the nation's best quarterbacks, and Kirk Herbstreit mentioned Indiana's Kurtis Rourke. "This kid Rourke, when he comes back, there's a lot to trust in him when he comes back," Herbstreit said.

9:29 a.m. – ESPN's Pete Thamel said on College GameDay Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke had two small screws put in the top of his thumb. He's expected to attempt to come back next week. "Considering Kurtis Rourke had thumb surgery on Monday, the situation couldn't have played out better," Thamel said.

9:25 a.m. – Stanford Steve is wearing the full Indiana basketball warmups, with the candy stripe pants and button-up shirt. "Bob Knight would have ran your ass out of the gym," Pat McAfee said.

9:23 a.m. – Rece Davis offered his condolences to Tim Clifford, Indiana's 1979 Big Ten MVP quarterback, who passed away at 65 years old earlier this week. To read Clifford's obituary, CLICK HERE.

9:21 a.m. – They're showing the full Bloomington experience on GameDay, with a clip of Indiana fans playing "Sink the Biz" at Nick's English Hut.

9:17 a.m. – Lee Corso is celebrating the 45-year reunion of the 1979 Indiana team that won the Holiday Bowl, which was the program's first bowl win. "That was a team of destiny," Corso said.

9:14 a.m. – Pat McAfee: "If you look at their schedule going ahead [with Washington, Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State and Purdue ahead] ... You're talking about Cig Cignetti maybe being 11-1. That's a surprise."

9:12 a.m. – Rece Davis on Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who will not play today due to a thumb injury. "They're hoping he's back next week," Davis said.

9:09 a.m. – "They're just getting started with Cig Cignetti lighting up the Cig Ten from now until forever," Pat McAfee said. McAfee, the former Indianapolis Colts punter, is especially excited to showcase the state of Indiana.

9:07 a.m. – "It's wonderful to be back in Bloomington. I missed it very, very much," Lee Corso said.

9:04 a.m. – ESPN showed Lee Corso in the iconic red sweater he wore as the Hoosiers' coach from 1973-82.

9:00 a.m. – GameDay coverage has started in Bloomington. "Curt Cignetti has Indiana believing the impossible," said Rece Davis to open the show. No. 13 Indiana enters the game 7-0 with a chance at the College football Playoff.

8:08 a.m. – Indiana fans have brought the energy early this morning. Students have been lined up along 17th Street since Friday afternoon and into Saturday morning.

Related stories on Indiana football

  • LEE CORSO RETURNS TO INDIANA: Players from Indiana’s 1979 Holiday Bowl team didn’t think Lee Corso, their coach, would be in town for their 45-year reunion. But ESPN College GameDay is in Bloomington for Saturday’s Indiana-Washington game, a coincidence that was “meant to be.” CLICK HERE
  • HOW TO WATCH: Everything you need to know on how to watch Indiana's game against Washington on Saturday. CLICK HERE.
  • TIM CLIFFORD DIES AT 65: Indiana's 1979 quarterback, Tim Clifford, died on Wednesday due to heart complications. CLICK HERE.
  • JACKSON HAS TEAMMATES' CONFIDENCE: After an up and down 2023 season, teammates have seen quarterback Tayven Jackson improve under the new coaching staff as he prepares to start against Washington. CLICK HERE
  • PREDICTION, 3 KEYS: Hoosiers On SI makes its prognostications for Saturday's game against Washington. CLICK HERE.
  • MEET THE OPPONENT: Washington will be a challenge for Indiana on Saturday. CLICK HERE.
  • CIGNETTI, CORSO HAVE CROSSED PATHS: Indiana coach Curt Cignetti and former Indiana coach and ESPN analyst Lee Corso have have contact with one another over the years. CLICK HERE.
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Jack Ankony
JACK ANKONY

Jack Ankony is a Sports Illustrated/FanNation writer for HoosiersNow.com. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism. Follow on Twitter @ankony_jack.

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