ESPN.com: NCF - What is Verge Saturday?

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Tuesday, September 11

Verge Saturday is a celebration of college football

ESPN.com

ESPN.com and ESPN have teamed up to present VERGE Saturday, a week-long interactive celebration of college football, featuring the Georgia Tech-Florida State matchup in Tallahassee on Saturday, Sept. 15 (ESPN, 7:45 p.m. ET). VERGE Saturday will be highlighted by real-time, online coaching analysis during the game from former head coaches John Cooper and Jim Donnan via Enhanced Television. ESPN.com will also present player diaries, daily reports from each campus, Webcams, an Internet-only audio show and more.

"For college football fans, this event will be like nothing else they've experienced before on television or online," said John Walsh, senior vice president and executive editor, ESPN. "These fans are passionate, and this VERGE event is a way to really make them feel a part of the not only the game, but the entire college football Saturday."

Beginning Monday, Sept. 10, Cooper and Donnan will spend the week at Florida State and Georgia Tech, respectively. Each will watch game film, attend practices and work with the coaching staffs about game plans for Saturday night. Both will present daily reports from campus on ESPN.com throughout the week. The culmination of their preparation will be featured on ESPN.com's Enhanced TV when Cooper and Donnan "coach" against each other online simultaneously with ESPN's telecast of the game.

Other highlights of VERGE Saturday include:

Player diaries: Beginning Monday, ESPN.com and ESPN will give users and viewers a look inside the week of a player from each team.

Daily campus reports: ESPN.com will be on the ground in Atlanta and Tallahassee all week to capture the flavor and set the scene as both teams prepare for Saturday's showdown; Cooper and Donnan will also provide daily reports as they follow each team.

Webcams: Still-image cameras in each end zone of Doak Campbell Stadium will capture the sidelines, bands, stands and the rest of the halftime festivities.

Audio show: ESPN.com will present an hour-long Internet audio show from Tallahassee on Saturday, hosted by Steve Cyphers, and including Cooper, Donnan and other guests; the show will take a look at one of the biggest weekends in college football, highlighted by Cooper and Donnan's game plans.

Lee Mail and E-Mel: ESPN analysts Lee Corso and Mel Kiper will answer fan questions submitted via email throughout College GameDay and ESPN Radio's GameDay.

Football history and traditions: ESPN.com will take a look throughout the week at the history and traditions of Georgia Tech and Florida State, from John Heisman to Chief Osceola.

Surveys: ESPN.com will ask boosters, alumni and students at both schools what they think of their programs - best team, best player and most memorable game in school history.