Indiana University Athletics
Quoted: Pre-Rose Bowl Game Offense Availability
12/27/2025 3:00:00 PM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– As Indiana Football's Rose Bowl matchup against Alabama on Thursday (January 1) approaches, offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Mike Shanahan and players Pat Coogan, Riley Nowakowski, Carter Smith and Elijah Sarratt addressed the media inside the Don Croftcheck Football Team Room on Saturday (December 27).
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.
Mike Shanahan | Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers
On the adjustments of the offensive line throughout the season…
MS: Feel good with all those guys that have been in there playing. Obviously, some injuries have led to that shuffle, but now that we're back to basically full strength, we feel good about all those seven like you mentioned. As far as challenges, getting all those guys ready to go in practice. Getting them all working together, the accumulation of reps. Coach (Bob) Bostad and Coach (Zack) Leeds they do a great job working outside the team periods and practice to get those guys all working together, have a lot of confidence in that group as a whole. Whoever is out there playing I feel good they're going to get the job done.
On Omar Cooper Jr.'s developed consistency…
MS: There's not one moment that sticks out right now. I've always felt with Coop, it hasn't been a drastic thing for him to take from step one to step two. It's been very minute, small things, just his play in general to this point this year has been, overall, really consistent. There's little lapses from time to time that we address with him and typically he's the type of kid that will get it fixed the next time we go out there. So, I just feel like overall he's just gotten a better sense of the offense, we can play him at different positions and whenever the ball has come his ways, he's done a good job making the plays. And he's been out there without the exception of the injury he had against Ohio State; he's been healthy and available all year which was wasn't necessarily the case last year, so it was good to see him get back in the fold and getting back out there in practice and hopefully he'll be out there this week.
On staying precise when having a long break between games…
MS: Number one, our scout team gives us a really good looks and those guys are capable at all three levels. You've got a lot of good young players over there that are doing a great job pushing us. We haven't been approached in those periods as 'let the offense have success, so to speak' so those guys are pushing us to be on point with our details. We're getting a lot of different looks and they're doing a good job executing it.
I do feel like our guys will be ready to play. Shoot, we're playing in the Rose Bowl, College Football Playoff game against a great opponent. There might be a slight adjustment early in the game, but I feel like our guys will be ready to go. The experience in our group I think will help us as well.
Pat Coogan | OL | R-Sr.
On Tyrique Tucker...
PC: He does a great job of knowing what he excels at and using that to his advantage. He has that built-in leverage type body that he really uses well. It's tough, especially me, who is a bit taller than him. It's tough to get underneath him and use that leverage. I feel like that is what a lot of people struggle with and he really uses that to his advantage. He's quick. He has a good burst off the ball and he uses his hands well. He's a veteran player, so he knows the ins and outs of the games. He's been huge for us and really taken that step from last year to this year and being that dominate force on the inside for us. It's been awesome to watch.
On Mike Shanahan as an offensive coordinator...
PC: I think the main thing is that he believes in his playmakers. He believes in us. He does a great job of putting his playmakers in a position to succeed. He lets his ego go at the door and really just cares about the overall success of the unit, and that is getting the ball in the hands of people we all know can make plays - explosive plays. He does a great job of making sure we're all on the same page in the RPO-based scheme that we are in.
You know, he trusts us. He believes in us. He gives us the power to go out and make plays for him and for this whole team. Whether it is a run heavy call or those RPOs. We've had games where the RPOs have been there and other games where we've had to rely on more of the run and more of the drop back [passing]. I think he does a great job of adjusting. He does a great job of putting us in positions to have success. It's been great working with him and getting to know him. At the end of the day, he believes in us and he puts the power in his playmakers to go out there and make plays for us.
Riley Nowakowski | TE | R-Sr.+
On managing time off in the gap between games…
RN: I've been lucky to be able to play in a few Bowl Games over my career, so I've kind of had this period, you get a little bit of rest, I think it's huge for the young guys, it helps them develop. You're getting young guys a lot of reps they might not get in the regular season because the older guys are taking a little bit off their load.
I think it's important just to stay locked in mentally. I think obviously our first two weeks we didn't know who our opponent was, so we were not relaxing, but we were taking it a little bit easier just because you can only practice so much for somebody who you don't know it's going to be, so those first two weeks were pretty light, and then after the Alabama game, we really got into game prep. I think that's kind of how you do it, once you're about two weeks out from a game, you kind of have to start to really lock in and get back into normal game speed stuff and normal game week type of practices. So, I think it's truly more about the mentality of how kids are approaching it. Those first two weeks are often just more recovery based, but now we're fully in game mode.
I think we've got a lot of older guys that understand that it wasn't just this week, but last week, 'we really have to prepare for this team, we need every second we can get.'
On his career receiving numbers this season and if the offensive staff wanted that out of him…
RN: I think they definitely saw a lot more in me than a lot of other staffs. Personally, I felt like the staff at my old school didn't see a ton in me. On my visit (to IU), I actually talked to Coach (Mike) Shanahan, 'hey coach just give me a tight end screen, I'll show you what I can do' I was kind of joking at the time, but they told me that I'd be involved I was going to be involved in the pass game, that was a big thing for me coming out of Wisconsin not having a lot of receiving yards. That was a thing they pitched me, they said 'our tight end last year Zach he had 200 some receiving yards' that's good for me, I'll take 200. I've just been continuing to get more and more involved and continue to build trust and I'm just happy they keep giving me the ball, them and (Ferando Mendoza) 'Nando, it's awesome.
Carter Smith | OL | R-Jr.
On his development under Bob Bostad...
CS: I saw a young kid that has grown a whole lot these past three years under him. Having someone with that maturity, who has been at the NFL level and has been at the college level, coaching there, I think it really made me take a mental step towards where I needed to be.
I really thank him for that. It got me on track. I was still kind of one of those college kids who wasn't sure where he had his role on the team. Once he came in, I think I really found my bread and butter. His coaching philosophy really rubbed off on me and it's treated me very well since he's been here.
On Mike Shanahan as an offensive coordinator...
CS: It's fun to watch coach Shanahan work. He makes sure that he gets the opinions of every coach, whether it's scheme or a certain play or they type of way he wants to run the offense. [Head coach Curt] Cignetti is also very involved in that, and you can see that, too. It's kind of iron sharpening iron. I think it works very well upstairs in the staff room, as well.
Elijah Sarratt | WR | Sr.
On Coach Shanahan and his approach…
ES: It's great working with him. One of the biggest things I don't think people talk about enough with him is just the amount of work and time that he puts in. It amazes me just every single day the amount of time he puts in. There's days where I'm like 'hey coach, you might want to go home a little early tonight, man, just kick your feet up' but he's always putting in the work and that's since I've known him. He demands excellence out of me and out of everyone who is around him.
This year I feel like I've seen him take a step further in being the offensive coordinator, but talking to other groups. Picking us up, like if practice is going a little slow maybe saying, 'o-line come on, quarterbacks come on, running backs come on' so I feel like I've seen that more this year. He's been offensive coordinator for not too long, only a couple years now, so he's learning as we're learning. The future is bright for Coach Shanny.
I love him more than like he's a coach. He's someone I can talk to about anything. He's someone I want to invite to maybe my wedding years from now. So, I appreciate Coach Shanny a lot. Just seeing him evolve every single day makes me want to get better as well.
On Alabama's secondary and what he has to focus on…
ES: Great defense totally, but they've got some experienced guys back there. They like to play a lot of zone, but last week they mixed it up, played a little bit more man against Oklahoma, so we'll see what they do against us. It's an exciting challenge going against a group like that. I know they're great, I know they fly around, they run to the ball, the d-line's great, the linebackers are great. It's an exciting challenge for us, but we're ready.
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.
Mike Shanahan | Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers
On the adjustments of the offensive line throughout the season…
MS: Feel good with all those guys that have been in there playing. Obviously, some injuries have led to that shuffle, but now that we're back to basically full strength, we feel good about all those seven like you mentioned. As far as challenges, getting all those guys ready to go in practice. Getting them all working together, the accumulation of reps. Coach (Bob) Bostad and Coach (Zack) Leeds they do a great job working outside the team periods and practice to get those guys all working together, have a lot of confidence in that group as a whole. Whoever is out there playing I feel good they're going to get the job done.
On Omar Cooper Jr.'s developed consistency…
MS: There's not one moment that sticks out right now. I've always felt with Coop, it hasn't been a drastic thing for him to take from step one to step two. It's been very minute, small things, just his play in general to this point this year has been, overall, really consistent. There's little lapses from time to time that we address with him and typically he's the type of kid that will get it fixed the next time we go out there. So, I just feel like overall he's just gotten a better sense of the offense, we can play him at different positions and whenever the ball has come his ways, he's done a good job making the plays. And he's been out there without the exception of the injury he had against Ohio State; he's been healthy and available all year which was wasn't necessarily the case last year, so it was good to see him get back in the fold and getting back out there in practice and hopefully he'll be out there this week.
On staying precise when having a long break between games…
MS: Number one, our scout team gives us a really good looks and those guys are capable at all three levels. You've got a lot of good young players over there that are doing a great job pushing us. We haven't been approached in those periods as 'let the offense have success, so to speak' so those guys are pushing us to be on point with our details. We're getting a lot of different looks and they're doing a good job executing it.
I do feel like our guys will be ready to play. Shoot, we're playing in the Rose Bowl, College Football Playoff game against a great opponent. There might be a slight adjustment early in the game, but I feel like our guys will be ready to go. The experience in our group I think will help us as well.
Pat Coogan | OL | R-Sr.
On Tyrique Tucker...
PC: He does a great job of knowing what he excels at and using that to his advantage. He has that built-in leverage type body that he really uses well. It's tough, especially me, who is a bit taller than him. It's tough to get underneath him and use that leverage. I feel like that is what a lot of people struggle with and he really uses that to his advantage. He's quick. He has a good burst off the ball and he uses his hands well. He's a veteran player, so he knows the ins and outs of the games. He's been huge for us and really taken that step from last year to this year and being that dominate force on the inside for us. It's been awesome to watch.
On Mike Shanahan as an offensive coordinator...
PC: I think the main thing is that he believes in his playmakers. He believes in us. He does a great job of putting his playmakers in a position to succeed. He lets his ego go at the door and really just cares about the overall success of the unit, and that is getting the ball in the hands of people we all know can make plays - explosive plays. He does a great job of making sure we're all on the same page in the RPO-based scheme that we are in.
You know, he trusts us. He believes in us. He gives us the power to go out and make plays for him and for this whole team. Whether it is a run heavy call or those RPOs. We've had games where the RPOs have been there and other games where we've had to rely on more of the run and more of the drop back [passing]. I think he does a great job of adjusting. He does a great job of putting us in positions to have success. It's been great working with him and getting to know him. At the end of the day, he believes in us and he puts the power in his playmakers to go out there and make plays for us.
Riley Nowakowski | TE | R-Sr.+
On managing time off in the gap between games…
RN: I've been lucky to be able to play in a few Bowl Games over my career, so I've kind of had this period, you get a little bit of rest, I think it's huge for the young guys, it helps them develop. You're getting young guys a lot of reps they might not get in the regular season because the older guys are taking a little bit off their load.
I think it's important just to stay locked in mentally. I think obviously our first two weeks we didn't know who our opponent was, so we were not relaxing, but we were taking it a little bit easier just because you can only practice so much for somebody who you don't know it's going to be, so those first two weeks were pretty light, and then after the Alabama game, we really got into game prep. I think that's kind of how you do it, once you're about two weeks out from a game, you kind of have to start to really lock in and get back into normal game speed stuff and normal game week type of practices. So, I think it's truly more about the mentality of how kids are approaching it. Those first two weeks are often just more recovery based, but now we're fully in game mode.
I think we've got a lot of older guys that understand that it wasn't just this week, but last week, 'we really have to prepare for this team, we need every second we can get.'
On his career receiving numbers this season and if the offensive staff wanted that out of him…
RN: I think they definitely saw a lot more in me than a lot of other staffs. Personally, I felt like the staff at my old school didn't see a ton in me. On my visit (to IU), I actually talked to Coach (Mike) Shanahan, 'hey coach just give me a tight end screen, I'll show you what I can do' I was kind of joking at the time, but they told me that I'd be involved I was going to be involved in the pass game, that was a big thing for me coming out of Wisconsin not having a lot of receiving yards. That was a thing they pitched me, they said 'our tight end last year Zach he had 200 some receiving yards' that's good for me, I'll take 200. I've just been continuing to get more and more involved and continue to build trust and I'm just happy they keep giving me the ball, them and (Ferando Mendoza) 'Nando, it's awesome.
Carter Smith | OL | R-Jr.
On his development under Bob Bostad...
CS: I saw a young kid that has grown a whole lot these past three years under him. Having someone with that maturity, who has been at the NFL level and has been at the college level, coaching there, I think it really made me take a mental step towards where I needed to be.
I really thank him for that. It got me on track. I was still kind of one of those college kids who wasn't sure where he had his role on the team. Once he came in, I think I really found my bread and butter. His coaching philosophy really rubbed off on me and it's treated me very well since he's been here.
On Mike Shanahan as an offensive coordinator...
CS: It's fun to watch coach Shanahan work. He makes sure that he gets the opinions of every coach, whether it's scheme or a certain play or they type of way he wants to run the offense. [Head coach Curt] Cignetti is also very involved in that, and you can see that, too. It's kind of iron sharpening iron. I think it works very well upstairs in the staff room, as well.
Elijah Sarratt | WR | Sr.
On Coach Shanahan and his approach…
ES: It's great working with him. One of the biggest things I don't think people talk about enough with him is just the amount of work and time that he puts in. It amazes me just every single day the amount of time he puts in. There's days where I'm like 'hey coach, you might want to go home a little early tonight, man, just kick your feet up' but he's always putting in the work and that's since I've known him. He demands excellence out of me and out of everyone who is around him.
This year I feel like I've seen him take a step further in being the offensive coordinator, but talking to other groups. Picking us up, like if practice is going a little slow maybe saying, 'o-line come on, quarterbacks come on, running backs come on' so I feel like I've seen that more this year. He's been offensive coordinator for not too long, only a couple years now, so he's learning as we're learning. The future is bright for Coach Shanny.
I love him more than like he's a coach. He's someone I can talk to about anything. He's someone I want to invite to maybe my wedding years from now. So, I appreciate Coach Shanny a lot. Just seeing him evolve every single day makes me want to get better as well.
On Alabama's secondary and what he has to focus on…
ES: Great defense totally, but they've got some experienced guys back there. They like to play a lot of zone, but last week they mixed it up, played a little bit more man against Oklahoma, so we'll see what they do against us. It's an exciting challenge going against a group like that. I know they're great, I know they fly around, they run to the ball, the d-line's great, the linebackers are great. It's an exciting challenge for us, but we're ready.
#NeverDaunted
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/ FootballFB: Carter Smith Media Media Availability (12/27/25)
Saturday, December 27
FB: Riley Nowakowski Media Availability (12/27/25)
Saturday, December 27
FB: Pat Coogan Media Availability (12/27/25)
Saturday, December 27
FB: Elijah Sarratt Media Availability (12/27/25)
Saturday, December 27