Bruin Sports senior staff member Sam Allen sat down with freshman defensive tackle Brian Price after a practice this week before the Bruins’ game against the Trojans. Price missed the first three games of the season because of issues with his high school transcript, but has come on strong in the season’s home stretch, starting three games and recording nine total tackles. He also chose UCLA over USC, even after the Trojans offered him a scholarship.
Daily Bruin: What made you choose UCLA over USC?
Brian Price: Everything. The UCLA tradition and the academics and the athletics.
DB: Did USC coach Pete Carroll make a strong impression on you?
BP: No, not really. He is a good guy. But it was better here and that’s why I came here. It wasn’t a tough choice; I committed early.
DB: You’ve had a crazy season. How do you sum it all up?
BP: There’s nothing I can really say. I just kept my eyes on the prize and stayed focused and humble. I knew the Lord was going to make a way, and I just came out with a vengeance and worked hard every day.
DB: At any point when you weren’t able to play, did you think that you should have gone to a different school?
BP: Not really. When I wasn’t able to play I was just at home working hard because I knew I was going to be coming back. I just had the mind-set that I was going to come back.
DB: What would a win against USC in your first year mean to you?
BP: It would mean a lot to come in and beat our rival and stop them from going to the Rose Bowl and give us a chance to go to the Rose Bowl. It’s more than words can explain.
DB: Growing up in Los Angeles, did you ever go to USC-UCLA football games?
BP: Actually, I had never been to a college football game before I started to get recruited by UCLA. That was the first time I ever went to a game. I didn’t really watch football when I was younger. I always had a dream of playing football, but I never really watched football.
DB: So there’s not a past UCLA-USC game that you can remember?
BP: (Laughs) No, not really. I watched the last game we played at the Coliseum with Maurice Jones-Drew and Marcedes Lewis. That was the first time I watched a Pac-10 game. The intensity of the game was crazy; even though we were losing, everybody was playing hard still.
DB: Were you at the game last year?
BP: Yeah, I was at the game. It was great seeing the defense just dominate and the offense doing their thing. It was really good. That was after I committed and (USC freshman center) Kristoffer O’Dowd was sitting next to me and I was trying to get him to come to UCLA, but he had his mind set on USC. It was a really exciting game though, and I heard that it’s crazy at USC too, so I’m looking forward to that. I can’t wait.
DB: Is the defense focused on getting the same type of pressure they got in the game last year?
BP:Yeah, getting pressure is key, and we’ve got to mess up their running plays. Getting a push up the middle is the big thing; you get a push up the middle, you’re going to disrupt all that’s going on in the backfield. That’s my mind-set really.
DB; Is this game going to be another defensive battle?
BP: Every game is a defensive battle because if they don’t score, they don’t win. That’s our mind-set.
DB: Is there anything that you do before a big game to calm down?
BP: I just listen to music and pray. I listen to rap, I listen to a lot of T.I. and Tupac to get in the game mood, and I listen to a gospel song. I also always wear one glove. I don’t know why I do it. I just did it one game and I had a good game. So I just kept doing it.
DB: What has it been like to be a freshman playing on a defense with so many seniors?
BP: It’s been pretty good. They’ve helped me out a lot. Everybody is family over here. Whenever I came back, I just hopped on and I was learning on the run. No one was complaining about it; they just helped me out like brothers. Brigham Harwell and the whole D-line really showed me the ropes. … I want to win every game, but I really want to send those seniors out with a win this week.
DB: Were you surprised that you were the only freshman on the team to have a big impact?
BP: No, not really. I just take it in stride. I know those guys on the sideline support me a lot, and we still hang out all the time. We’re a pretty tight class, we all hang out because there aren’t that many of us.
DB: Do you live with other freshmen?
BP: Yeah, we live right together. Everybody just hangs out together. I live with (freshman running back) Raymond Carter. It’s crazy at times, but it’s fun. … It’s too bad that he got hurt. He would have played.
DB: Do you like the dorms?
BP: It’s cool. We live in Evergreen. We’re the only football players on our floor. (Defensive tackle) Kevin Brown lives on the floor above us. It’s good; our neighbors are pretty cool.
DB: Do you eat in the dining hall a lot?
BP: Not really. I didn’t eat anything today.
DB: You didn’t eat anything at all? How did you make it through practice?
BP: (Laughs) I don’t know man, I thought I did pretty good. I’m a big guy. I gotta eat. But I only had like a granola bar today. I barely eat in the dining hall. It’s pretty good food, but I just never get time. I always have class at like 8 a.m. or something.
DB: You’ve got to eat so you can be strong though, right?
BP: I’ll eat tonight, man. Before I write my paper, I’m going to eat.
DB: You should go to Rendezvous.
BP: I haven’t been to Rendezvous in like three weeks. I’ve got to get up there.
DB: Try the nachos.
BP: Really? I’ve never had those.
DB: Anything else you’re thinking about before this big game?
BP: I’m just going to play hard like it’s my last time playing and try to win one for the seniors and make my family proud ““ I know they’ll be watching.