Quoted: Pat Coogan, Aiden Fisher & Elijah Sarratt
10/7/2025 6:00:00 PM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– As Indiana Football's Week 7 matchup at No. 3/2 Oregon on Saturday (October 11) approaches, seniors Pat Coogan, Aiden Fisher and Elijah Sarratt and addressed the media inside the Don Croftcheck Football Team Room.
Below is a partial transcript of the press conference, while video of the media sessions can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
Pat Coogan | OL | R-Sr.
On what makes Fernando Mendoza one of the best quarterbacks in the country…
PC: I mean, I feel like I'm saying it every week to you guys, but his talents undeniable, but combined with his work ethic– I mean, he's out there throwing right now, 45 minutes everyone's off the field, his work ethic is second to none, and that's what separates him. You can be as talented as possible, some of the best talent in the world, but if you don't have that mindset to get better each and every day, that work ethic, that grittiness, that toughness– that's what really sets him apart. It's exciting for him, and we got to go out there and protect him and do our jobs. Like I said after Iowa, we got to go let him shine, that's our job, and we have to do it.
On taking a moment and appreciating being in a top 10 matchup…
PC: It's tough because you're so in the moment. I definitely sometimes just take, take a deep breath before the game, and look around [in a] huge game and just try to get that out. Take that one moment to see the stands and to see everyone in a crazy environment, and then just really lock in. That happens way before kickoff, but sometimes you're in the moment, so it's tough to kind of relish and think of yourself from that perspective. But you know it's a cool experience and I'm grateful for all of them, and it's another big, big opportunity, so we got to prepare and be ready for it.
On the benefit of Iowa noise while preparing for Oregon…
PC: For sure beneficial. Anything you do twice, the more reps you get at it, the more time you have to prepare, the more time you spend on it, you're going to be better at it. That's just the key (for) anything. We got to spend the time we got to put in the work. It's loud in practice, but we know it's going to be loud there. It's going to be super loud, so we got to get ready for it.
Aiden Fisher | LB | Sr.
On how he prepares for different looks in the opposing offense …
AF: You have to be able to match personnel. When they come in with two backs or one back, you have to be able to match personnel with what we do. Then obviously, you have to be able to get the ball on the ground. I think that is the biggest thing. So no matter who has the ball in their hand, if it's a running back, a tight end, or a receiver, you've got to make them feel it, make them regret running the ball. They do a great job utilizing a lot of different running backs in a lot of different sets.
On how early he started preparing for this game…
AF: I started things the day after Iowa, that Sunday, just jumping into film. When I'm watching teams, I just like to see what they like to do in certain situations, what their bread and butter plays are, and things like that. What type of plays do they go back to, key situations, just things like that. They had a game against Penn State that was really good to watch. They have a lot of good things on film that you have to prepare for. Obviously, the players, they are really good players. So, studying their players, how they play, how they move, and then I think schematically is the biggest thing for me, to kind of see what they like to do scheme-wise.
On whether there is an added chip there to prove that the team belongs …
AF: Yes, for sure. A lot of these guys in here felt the disrespect from last year, carried it in this year with a chip on their shoulders. But like I said, this is why you come here, to play in games like this, to have a lot of coverage. A lot of people are going to be watching. This is what Indiana Football is now. We're going to play in these big games and expect great outcomes. So, you just have to prepare for it like any other game.
Elijah Sarratt | WR | Sr.
On the game-winning play vs. Iowa…
ES: Pre-snap, the snap before they gave us cover zero, and then I see the safeties coming down again, so I knew it was cover zero again, and I just wanted to speed my route up. It was a slant route, and I just wanted to get open quick, and then Fernando was able to hit me and withstand the blitz, and I was just able to break a tackle, and I see green gas, so all I was thinking was 'go,' and that's how it went. I was able to make a play, and I'm very excited I was able to win the game for my team.
Lessons learned from Iowa that can be taken into Oregon…
ES: Just staying calm in those loud environments. Even before Iowa, we've experienced it before last year with Ohio State and Notre Dame. It's just controlling what we can control and just doing us. You know it's going to be loud in there, but as you can see, we have crowd noise every single day [at practice]. I think we're ready for the moment, just got to stay calm and collect [yourself].
On Oregon's Secondary…
ES: They're long. Very long and athletic. Most of them can probably scratch their knees standing straight up, so they're very long and athletic and are coached very well. It's going to be a challenge for us, but we're excited and we're ready for the challenge.
Below is a partial transcript of the press conference, while video of the media sessions can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
Pat Coogan | OL | R-Sr.
On what makes Fernando Mendoza one of the best quarterbacks in the country…
PC: I mean, I feel like I'm saying it every week to you guys, but his talents undeniable, but combined with his work ethic– I mean, he's out there throwing right now, 45 minutes everyone's off the field, his work ethic is second to none, and that's what separates him. You can be as talented as possible, some of the best talent in the world, but if you don't have that mindset to get better each and every day, that work ethic, that grittiness, that toughness– that's what really sets him apart. It's exciting for him, and we got to go out there and protect him and do our jobs. Like I said after Iowa, we got to go let him shine, that's our job, and we have to do it.
On taking a moment and appreciating being in a top 10 matchup…
PC: It's tough because you're so in the moment. I definitely sometimes just take, take a deep breath before the game, and look around [in a] huge game and just try to get that out. Take that one moment to see the stands and to see everyone in a crazy environment, and then just really lock in. That happens way before kickoff, but sometimes you're in the moment, so it's tough to kind of relish and think of yourself from that perspective. But you know it's a cool experience and I'm grateful for all of them, and it's another big, big opportunity, so we got to prepare and be ready for it.
On the benefit of Iowa noise while preparing for Oregon…
PC: For sure beneficial. Anything you do twice, the more reps you get at it, the more time you have to prepare, the more time you spend on it, you're going to be better at it. That's just the key (for) anything. We got to spend the time we got to put in the work. It's loud in practice, but we know it's going to be loud there. It's going to be super loud, so we got to get ready for it.
Aiden Fisher | LB | Sr.
On how he prepares for different looks in the opposing offense …
AF: You have to be able to match personnel. When they come in with two backs or one back, you have to be able to match personnel with what we do. Then obviously, you have to be able to get the ball on the ground. I think that is the biggest thing. So no matter who has the ball in their hand, if it's a running back, a tight end, or a receiver, you've got to make them feel it, make them regret running the ball. They do a great job utilizing a lot of different running backs in a lot of different sets.
On how early he started preparing for this game…
AF: I started things the day after Iowa, that Sunday, just jumping into film. When I'm watching teams, I just like to see what they like to do in certain situations, what their bread and butter plays are, and things like that. What type of plays do they go back to, key situations, just things like that. They had a game against Penn State that was really good to watch. They have a lot of good things on film that you have to prepare for. Obviously, the players, they are really good players. So, studying their players, how they play, how they move, and then I think schematically is the biggest thing for me, to kind of see what they like to do scheme-wise.
On whether there is an added chip there to prove that the team belongs …
AF: Yes, for sure. A lot of these guys in here felt the disrespect from last year, carried it in this year with a chip on their shoulders. But like I said, this is why you come here, to play in games like this, to have a lot of coverage. A lot of people are going to be watching. This is what Indiana Football is now. We're going to play in these big games and expect great outcomes. So, you just have to prepare for it like any other game.
Elijah Sarratt | WR | Sr.
On the game-winning play vs. Iowa…
ES: Pre-snap, the snap before they gave us cover zero, and then I see the safeties coming down again, so I knew it was cover zero again, and I just wanted to speed my route up. It was a slant route, and I just wanted to get open quick, and then Fernando was able to hit me and withstand the blitz, and I was just able to break a tackle, and I see green gas, so all I was thinking was 'go,' and that's how it went. I was able to make a play, and I'm very excited I was able to win the game for my team.
Lessons learned from Iowa that can be taken into Oregon…
ES: Just staying calm in those loud environments. Even before Iowa, we've experienced it before last year with Ohio State and Notre Dame. It's just controlling what we can control and just doing us. You know it's going to be loud in there, but as you can see, we have crowd noise every single day [at practice]. I think we're ready for the moment, just got to stay calm and collect [yourself].
On Oregon's Secondary…
ES: They're long. Very long and athletic. Most of them can probably scratch their knees standing straight up, so they're very long and athletic and are coached very well. It's going to be a challenge for us, but we're excited and we're ready for the challenge.
#NeverDaunted
Players Mentioned
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FB: Aiden Fisher Media Availability (10/7/25)
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FB: Elijah Sarratt Media Availability (10/7/25)
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FB: Week 7 (at Oregon) - Curt Cignetti Press Conference
Monday, October 06