With his playing time being very minimal last year
against cross-town rival USC, junior running back Maurice
Drew’s impact was not felt as much as it should be this
Saturday when the two teams meet. Drew leads the nation in average
punt return yards and is a fan-favorite amongst the Bruin
community.
Drew sat down with Daily Bruin reporter Ajaybir Behniwal
and discussed everything from his take on the race for the Heisman
to his ridiculous number of Facebook friends all the way to his and
his teammates’ presence at Pauley Pavilion during gymnastics
meets.
Daily Bruin: What do you like to do on Saturdays during the
off-season?
Maurice Drew: Sleep. Or play video games. One or the other.
DB: What’s your favorite video game or
system?
MD: Ummm…NCAA 2006 for Playstation 2.
DB: Is it weird seeing yourself in a game? Do you use
yourself?
MD: Naw. I play with lesser teams like Southern Mississippi. I
mean, not lesser, but ones that aren’t in the big
conferences.
…
DB: What’s your favorite place to eat in
Westwood?
MD: Umm. Fatburger.
DB: When you eat in the dining hall, is there anything you
have to have with every meal?
MD: Ranch.
DB: With anything in particular?
MD: Hamburgers, double cheeseburgers, fries, pizza, that’s
about it. Oh, and salad.
DB: How hungry are you for a win against “˜SC this
weekend?
MD: Oh, it’s everything to me and to the team so, umm, you
can say I’m starving for it if that’s what you
want.
DB: What do you think of Reggie Bush?
MD: He’s probably the best player in college football. He
makes plays and you can’t hate on him because he’s a
great player.
DB: He’s getting a lot of hype for the Heisman. Who do
you think the five finalists this year will be?
MD: I dunno. It’s not up to me. I think Drew Olson should
be one for sure. He’s the best quarterback in the nation
right now. Reggie Bush, probably Vince Young, Matt Leinart, those
type of guys.
…
DB: What kind of music do you like listening to?
MD: Lil’ Wayne. Mostly rap, R&B.
DB: Do you like hyphie?
MD: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean I’m a Bay Area person so you
know I like it.
…
DB: You’re always at gymnastics meets with a bunch of
your teammates. When did you start going to them and was there a
reason?
MD: We just always wanted to show fans how you can act crazy and
not get in trouble. We chose gymnastics because we have a bunch of
friends (on the team) and they told us to come. We decided to make
Pauley Pavilion the toughest place to play at in the country in
gymnastics.
DB: When you guys go, you go in costumes and stuff. Which
ones were the most exciting or most random?
MD: I think the two superheroes were the two craziest ones. Two
guys [Drew and sophomore running back Chris Markey] came out with
these short pants and capes on. It was crazy.
…
DB: On your Facebook profile, it says you like “long
walks on the beach and candle-lit dinners.” Is that a joke or
do you consider yourself to be a romantic kind of guy?
MD: I didn’t even do that. I don’t even remember who
it was. It was my freshman year and someone got me on that and did
my profile for me. I would do stuff like that, but I dunno. I guess
it’s a joke. But I would do stuff like that.
DB: Speaking of Facebook, you get so many friend requests
everyday. How does that work out?
MD: Me and a couple of the other guys have this thing that
we’re going to confirm everyone that adds us. But I mean
it’s just all out of fun. I hope people don’t take it
too seriously. It’s all out of fun.
DB: How many of those friends do you actually talk to or
know?
MD: I probably know around half of them, but I know a good
amount.
Interview conducted by Ajaybir Behniwal, Bruin Sports Senior
Staff