University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
From the Huddle - Offensive Lineman Torrin Tucker
11/22/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
From the Huddle - Offensive Lineman Torrin Tucker
Torrin Tucker, one of the team's offensive leaders, has been a four-year starter for the Golden Eagles on the offensive line. He has currently started 37 games over the past four seasons.
SouthernMiss.com: How has the week of preparation gone for the team?
Tucker: It has gone pretty well. Everybody has been working hard towards the next step and trying to keep positive.
SouthernMiss.com: How do you feel the season has gone for you?
Tucker: I think it has gone well. I had a lot of nagging injuries throughout the year, and I have just tried to play the best I could with my injuries and do what I could to help my teammates.
SouthernMiss.com: Heading into the last two games of the season, what is the team?s mindset?
Tucker: We have a win-out mentality, but we are taking it one game at a time. We have to take it game by game, but we have to win so we can secure a bowl game.
SouthernMiss.com: How do you bounce back from a tough loss like Louisville?
Tucker: It is just like life. Football is just like life. You will work hard, and you will have setbacks. You just have to put them behind you and move on. That is what we have to do ? move on to the next game. If you sit there and worry about what happened last week, you are going to get beat. We have to focus on what we have to that day. You?ll have ups and you?ll have downs. Everything could be going well, and all of a sudden, something bad happens.
SouthernMiss.com: What are some thoughts as you play the final two games of your career at Southern Miss?
Tucker: It has been fun, and I want to thank everyone who has had anything to with me and helped make it possible to get an education and get an opportunity to continue to play this game. It has been fun.
SouthernMiss.com: What would you be doing now if you weren?t playing football?
Tucker: Honestly, if I couldn?t play football, I would have probably been in some trouble. Football was my way to stay out of trouble. I played ball and that is all I was concerned about. My parents couldn?t afford to send me to college. So, I would either be working at some dead end job or doing something I don?t have any business doing.
SouthernMiss.com: Is playing in the NFL something you have thought about a lot?
Tucker: That is a dream I have always had ? to play professional football. But I treat it just like everything else, hope for the best and expect the worst. I haven?t been promised anything. So, I just go out there and do what I can, and if I get the opportunity, I will try to make the best with it, like I did with college.
SouthernMiss.com: What would you say are your best skills as an offensive lineman?
Tucker: I like to pull. I think I do pretty well in run blocking, and I do all right in pass blocking. A lot of times, I am just overanxious, but I think I could use improvement in both areas of blocking.
SouthernMiss.com: Do you do your share of trash-talking on the field?
Tucker: It all depends. Sometimes I will say something, and other times I don?t If I pancake somebody real bad, I will say something to them to intimidate them, but as far as just talking trash, I won?t do that.
SouthernMiss.com: So is laying a pancake block your favorite thing to do?
Tucker: I just like dominating anybody, whether that means cutting them or anything. I just like to dominate my opponent.
SouthernMiss.com: Are you like that with everything else?
Tucker: Yeah. Ping-pong. Nintendo. I love to win. I am a true competitor and I hate to lose. If I lose, I get mad and I am ready to fight.
SouthernMiss.com: So can you beat everybody in everything?
Tucker: Not all the time.
SouthernMiss.com: Out of everyone on the team, who is the one you can?t beat?
Tucker: Every time I play Derrick (Nix) on the Playstation, he whoops me. So I don?t play him any more. Every time I played him, he would play me in the game and beat me pretty good. I can beat him in Tekken, but he beats me in all the football games.
SouthernMiss.com: Do you ever play with Southern Miss as your team?
Tucker: Derrick plays with Southern Miss most of the time. I play the game sometimes when I get bored, but I don?t play it like I used to. Most of the time I just shoot pool.
SouthernMiss.com: Are you a good pool player?
Tucker: I am decent. I have my good days and my bad days.
SouthernMiss.com: So in everything you do, you have to be competitive?
Tucker: Like my parents always told me, ?whatever you do, you have to be the best at it.? If you aren?t going do your best, don?t even start it. So I just kind of kept that mentality.
