The final moments leading up to ESPN’s broadcast of the Orange Bowl between Penn State and Notre Dame came with a scare.
While making his long-standing helmet pick for the College Football Playoff semifinal matchup between the Nittany Lions and Fighting Irish, “GameDay” analyst Lee Corso nearly fell backwards to the ground in front of the show’s desk while doing a jig to show he was predicting a Notre Dame victory.
The 89-year-old Corso, who was dressed as a leprechaun, was thankfully caught by the Notre Dame mascot he was dancing alongside before he hit the ground.
Corso has traditionally done the jig with the Notre Dame mascot when picking the Fighting Irish, including earlier this season, when he correctly predicted Notre Dame would beat Texas A&M in a Week 1 matchup.
Corso has been a mainstay of ESPN’s college football coverage since joining the network in the late 1980s, with his colorful personality and memorable catchphrases helping make “GameDay” one of the most popular and awarded pregame shows in broadcast history.
His role on the program has been reduced in recent years, with Corso sometimes unable to make the trip for the show certain weeks.