Four straight home wins vaulted Indiana football into the national spotlight, capped off by a stunning 63-10 thrashing of then–No. 9 Illinois.
The blowout moved the Hoosiers to 4-0 and earned them the No. 11 spot in the AP Poll. But former NFL coach Jon Gruden was quick to argue that the program deserves even more respect.
Appearing on “Wake Up Barstool” on X, he blasted voters for keeping Indiana outside the Top 5.
“Where is Indiana? How can Indiana not be in the Top 5 or 6?” Gruden asked.
With a trip to Iowa looming, he framed the game as the Hoosiers’ chance to prove they belong in the upper tier of the rankings.
Indiana certainly got its test in Iowa City. As reported by the New York Times, the contest was a slugfest, defined by physicality on both sides.
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza was leveled by Hawkeyes safety Xavier Nwankpa on the final play of the third quarter, sparking a sideline scuffle.
In that moment, center Pat Coogan pulled his teammates together and delivered a fiery speech. “Now we know,” he recalled. “We haven’t been tested like that. It was just us against the world.”
Linebacker Aiden Fisher echoed the sentiment, saying Coogan’s words lit a fire under the group.
That urgency paid off in the tense final minutes. Iowa intercepted Mendoza with under three minutes left and looked poised to steal the game, but Indiana’s defense held strong, forcing a missed 42-yard field goal.
With just over two minutes remaining, the Hoosiers seized control and held on for a 20-15 win to remain unbeaten at 5-0.
Coogan’s leadership stood out as the moment that kept Indiana together. “We’re going to win this game,” he told his teammates in the huddle. “This is why we train so hard. This is what we play for.”
Meanwhile, Indiana’s rise continues to generate headlines beyond the locker room. On Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy even ranked the Hoosiers above Ohio State and Oregon, calling them the No. 1 team in the Big Ten.
He pointed to their 63-10 dismantling of Illinois as proof. While Portnoy exaggerated the margin, the statement underscored how quickly Curt Cignetti’s squad has gone from underdog to serious contender.
The Hoosiers’ schedule will stiffen with Oregon, Maryland, and Penn State still to come. But for now, Indiana remains perfect and motivated by the belief that they’ve only just begun to prove themselves.
