The Daily Iowan: If you were playing any other sport right now, what would it be?
Landan Paulsen: Rugby. I just think it’s a really dynamic game that I never really got to learn growing up. There’s a lot of hitting involved, a lot of no pads, a lot of contact, and I like contact.

DI: How do you spend your free time?
Paulsen: Any free chance I get, I’m either hunting or fishing. I have a dog. She’s almost a year and a half old, and I run her a lot. It’s been kind of a process, my first dog, training her and teaching her the ropes and really getting her to be really obedient. There’s a lot of dogs and puppies out there that really don’t get out of the house much, and I want my dog to be different than any other dog. She’s really fun to work with. She’s a handful, but she knows a lot, and she’s really smart.

DI: What kind of dog is she?
Paulsen: She’s a Hungarian Vizsla. She’s a pointing breed versatile gun dog. She’s just a little red dog. She almost looks like a Labrador retriever — she has short hair, like burnt orange. Her name is Ayla.

DI: Pancheros or Chipotle?
Paulsen: Pancheros, for sure.

DI: What’s your go-to eating spot in Iowa City?
Paulsen: Man, if I was just going tonight I’d probably choose Stella, but I mean, there’s so many good places to eat in Iowa City. Thai Spice on Mormon Trek is a very good place. I like going to Monica’s; I like going to Coralville; I like going to Red’s in North Liberty; I like going to Fiesta in North Liberty, which is a Mexican restaurant. They all do a great job.

DI: What’s the best team meal that you guys have?
Paulsen: I don’t know, I think that we get fed really great in [the football] building, but the best team meals that we have is when the offensive line all gets together — or the offense comes over — and we grill out or something, or fire up the smokers and smoke some type of beef. Those are the best, getting just to sit down and relax and not think about football for a while.

DI: What’s your favorite dessert?
Paulsen: Man, that’s tough. And it’s actually changed in the last couple of weeks. I like ice cream a lot. I like a lot of ice cream joints around town, but blackberry pie is my favorite dessert.

DI: What’s your least favorite dessert?
Paulsen: I think as an offensive lineman, you don’t really have a least favorite dessert.