When Indiana steamrolled Purdue 56-3 on Friday night to cap off a perfect regular season, the scoreboard told one story. But inside the locker room, before a single snap was played, another kind of moment was unfolding - one that helped set the tone for everything that followed.
It came from Pat Coogan.
The redshirt senior center, now wearing cream and crimson after transferring from Notre Dame, stood in front of his teammates and delivered a fiery pregame speech. It wasn’t his first - Coogan’s passionate, no-holds-barred locker room addresses became something of a viral sensation during Notre Dame’s run to the national title game last season.
But this one hit different. This time, it was about Indiana.
About this group. About them.
Coogan called his teammates “misfits” - not as an insult, but as a badge of honor. A team of transfers, underdogs, and overlooked players who had come together to chase history.
“I thought it applied to us,” Coogan said. “It was more about the message as a whole, about just how all of our journeys have led us to here, and how all of our different paths have led us to this locker room on this Friday night before Purdue.”
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza said that speech lit a fire under the team. The result? Indiana’s largest margin of victory in the rivalry’s history - and the first undefeated regular season in program history.
But not everyone saw it the same way.
Head coach Curt Cignetti didn’t quite agree with the “misfits” label. In his eyes, this roster isn’t a patchwork of castoffs - it’s loaded with proven players who’ve earned respect across the college football landscape. Still, he tipped his cap to Coogan for knowing exactly how to push the right buttons.
“I don’t view our team as a bunch of misfits at all,” Cignetti said. “We’ve got a lot of good football players who have proven themselves collegiately. I do give Pat credit for finding an angle to kind of get everybody juiced.”
And that’s what Coogan does - he gets people juiced. That edge, that emotional spark, was part of what drew Cignetti and offensive line coach Bob Bostad to him in the transfer portal.
Just nine days after Notre Dame’s season ended, Coogan committed to Indiana. The Hoosiers had their guy in the middle.
But leadership isn’t something you’re handed - not in a locker room full of players with their own stories, their own scars. Coogan knew that.
So when he arrived in Bloomington, he didn’t come in barking orders or trying to take over. He went to work.
“The last thing I wanted to do when I arrived here was step on the toes of people who have been here,” Coogan said. “I know how I would feel, you know, as an offensive lineman if someone new came in and kind of tried to take control.
I wanted to gel with the guys. I wanted to grow with the guys through spring ball.”
That mindset paid off. Spring practices gave way to the grind of fall camp, and by the time the season opener rolled around, Coogan had earned the respect of the room. He wasn’t just a transfer anymore - he was a tone-setter, an anchor, an unofficial captain.
And he backed it up with his play.
Indiana’s offensive line became one of the best stories in college football this season. They paved the way for an offense that averaged 483.8 yards per game while giving up just 15 sacks. That kind of production doesn’t happen without trust, cohesion, and relentless work behind the scenes - something Coogan helped cultivate week after week.
“There’s always a gelling, and I think that’s what we’ve seen,” Coogan said. “That’s what translated to success because we’ve always kept striving and kept improving throughout the year.”
Now, the stakes are higher than ever. Indiana’s reward for an undefeated season?
A date with No. 1 Ohio State in the Big Ten title game.
And for Coogan, it’s personal.
During his four years at Notre Dame, he faced the Buckeyes three times. Three losses.
One of them came in last season’s national championship game. So yeah - he knows what’s coming.
But this isn’t the same Ohio State defense he saw back in January. Under new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, the Buckeyes have become a nightmare.
They’re allowing just 7.6 points per game and holding opponents to 12.7 first downs on average. Those numbers aren’t just elite - they’re suffocating.
Coogan and the Hoosiers got to work on Monday. The film room became the new battlefield, and the next few days will be filled with long hours, detailed prep, and no shortcuts.
“It’s a challenge we’re all very excited for, but we’ve got to be ready,” Coogan said. “It’s gonna be a long week with a lot of film and a lot of hours, but that’s football, and that’s what we love, and that’s what we love to do.”
Whether Coogan delivers another speech before Saturday night’s title game remains to be seen. If he does, it probably won’t be planned - that’s not really his style. He speaks when the moment calls for it.
But one thing is certain: when No. 78 lines up, the energy will be there. The fire will be there. And if Indiana is going to knock off the top team in the country, it’ll be with Coogan leading the charge - misfit label or not.