Ajaybir Behniwal of the Daily Bruin sat down with junior
fullback Michael Pitre to discuss everything from the current
season to his past and how he has wound up where he
is.
Daily Bruin: Are you pleased with the way the team has been
performing so far this season?
Michael Pitre: For me personally, I think it’s been going
well. My goal is just to get better each game. And as a team,
I’m happy with where we are. We all wish we could be 4-0, but
we let one slip away against Washington. Obviously we wish
we’d be scoring more offensively. But that’s a part of
having a young offense. Obviously you want to be perfect with
everything you do.
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DB: Can you talk a little bit about the tattoo you have on
your arm and what it means to you?
MP: It’s a picture basically of my mother. She passed away
when I was a senior in high school. I’m not really a fan of
pictures so I thought I’d get a tattoo in memory of her.
DB: How has her death affected you?
MP: At first, when I first got to UCLA, it was really tough on
me because I guess you can say I was kind of a momma’s boy.
And during my freshman year it was really hard because there
wasn’t really someone to talk to about everything that was
going on in my life. But now I’ve come to use it as a sort of
motivation.
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DB: While you’re not at practice or in class, what do
you like to do with your free time?
MP: I just like to relax. The stuff we do out here just takes
all the energy out of me so I just like to relax and take it easy.
Sometimes I’ll play video games and just sit around on the
couch.
DB: What video games do you usually play?
MP: Usually it’s Madden.
DB: How about NCAA Football?
MP: Yeah sometimes I’ll play that.
DB: Do you ever use UCLA?
MP: Yeah, I’ll put myself in there at tailback and play
like that. It’s pretty cool seeing myself on the screen.
Haha.
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DB: In high school you played linebacker also. Did you enjoy
that or playing fullback more?
MP: Linebacker, definitely. I liked getting to make big hits on
the quarterbacks.
DB: Does your background as a defensive player help you read
the opposing defense and what they’re trying to do?
MP: A little bit, yeah. It makes it easier to pick up on
coverages and I pay attention to what their linebackers are doing
and where they’re looking.
DB: As the fullback you’re doing a lot of small things
that only the coaches and your teammates really notice. Do you
sometimes wish that you’d receive more recognition for what
you do?
MP: No, not really. I knew what the job description was when I
came here and I knew it required doing all the dirty work like
setting up blocks. It’s just nice to see it when we’re
successful because I know I’m doing my part in
contributing.
DB: If you still played linebacker today and there was one
quarterback you could lay a huge hit on for a sack, who would it
be?
MP: Anyone?
DB: Anyone.
MP: Ummm. I’d have to say Matt Leinart.
DB: Why?
MP: Just because he was so successful and they beat us pretty
bad last year so I would’ve liked to step on the field and
take a big hit on him and knock him onto the ground. Haha.