ESPN’s College GameDay can often get quite intense, right? However, no one was prepared for what took place on November 9. Olivia Dunne and her boyfriend, Paul Skenes, served as guest pickers at Baton Rouge for LSU’s game against Alabama. The pressure was high as ever, as both teams were tied at 6-2. But this game was special for another reason. This was sort of a homecoming for Nick Saban. The legendary football coach helped LSU win a national championship before heading to the Miami Dolphins. 

Yet he couldn’t stay away from college football and made a triumphant return to Alabama. The rest, as they say, is history. The game on Saturday was a make-or-break game. With both teams tied at 6-2, a win could either be the ticket to the playoff, or a loss would have them in a bind. The tension was so high, but that didn’t stop the gymnast from upstaging the event. What did the LSU star do?

The LSU gymnast takes a shot at the former collegiate coach

Olivia Dunne and Paul Skenes had a very important task on College GameDay. The duo had the task of picking the Vanderbilt-South Carolina game. However, here is when the LSU gymnast stole the show. Nick Saban had previously stated how Vanderbilt was the “easiest place to play,” and she decided to throw a thinly veiled jab his way. “Someone once said that Vanderbilt was the easiest place to play in the SEC… But not today. I’m going with Vanderbilt.” Now, when did the legendary coach make this quip?

During a regular appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Saban had nonchalantly stated that the Vanderbilt’s aren’t the most competitive. He took it a step further by reiterating how whenever a team played them, their fans wouldn’t match the numbers. Saban even used an example from his time with Alabama during a game in Nashville. However, Livvy knew what she was doing when she passed the comment.

Yet, the timing couldn’t have been any better. This wasn’t just a comment she made in the passing. It was a reminder of what took place not too long ago. On October 6, the Commodores locked horns with the Crimson Tide, who up until this point were #1. However, Vanderbilt stunned their fiercest opponents with a 40-35 victory. Why is this so shocking?

It’s because of the fact that they had never achieved this feat for 40 years. In fact, this had never happened during Saban’s two-decade reign either. But seeing how this was Olivia Dunne’s first time taking on such a massive responsibility, how did she prepare for it?

Olivia Dunne made sure she did the groundwork

The 22-year-old has a lot on her plate this year. For the first time in LSU’s history, she will have the chance to defend the NCAA title. However, the gymnast had to prepare for a completely new opportunity. After being picked as the first pair of guest pickers for ESPN’s College GameDay this season, she wanted to make sure she had everything down to the T.

On3’s Pete Nakos reported the news on November 7, and Olivia Dunne confirmed with a lighthearted sneak peek into how she was gearing up for D-day. In a hilarious Instagram post from November 9, the 22-year-old takes notes as she tries to keep up with the game’s rules. In fact, Nick Saban happens to make a cameo in the clip. 

Dunne captioned the post, “I’m just a girl.” Yet, you can hear a soundbyte of the legendary coach going, “Jarell, run the route again; damn it, it’s cut.” To add to the hilarity of the post, the video had a caption stating how she was studying football so she didn’t embarrass herself on college game day. 

It’s obvious that she knows her way around gymnastics. But Olivia Dunne’s expression in the video showed that she meant business. If you’re wondering why we could hear Saban in the background, Livvy could answer that for you. At some point during the video, she points the camera towards her laptop to reveal clips of old games. Maybe that’s how the LSU gymnast knew what to say to the former collegiate coach.