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'Joe Burrow is Louisiana — he just happens to be from Ohio'

Louisianans from Plain Dealing to Port Sulphur visited the polls Saturday to vote for their next governor.

But Joe Burrow had already won the state.

His LSU teammates began the victory parade last week when they carried him off the field in Tuscaloosa, Ala., in a scene fit — like much of this season — for a Disney movie.

And the appreciation extends far beyond the locker room, to a love affair between Burrow and much of Louisiana.

"That was pretty special," Burrow said. "Having these guys embrace me the way that they have — just some quarterback from Ohio that came in last June before the season. The way they've embraced me, it means a lot to me that this entire program has embraced me and the whole state as well."

Hundreds of fans flocked to the airport that evening to provide a hero's welcome to their returning players — chief among them, No. 9.

And about 100,000 will roar in Saturday when they hear his name through the Tiger Stadium loudspeakers for the first time since his latest feats.

"It's crazy," said junior linebacker Patrick Queen, who grew up just outside Baton Rogue, in nearby Ventress, La. "It's a crazy thing to watch. The state really rallies behind him from the fans to rappers to children and everyone. It's really a crazy thing. It's like he's become the face of Louisiana. And I'm thankful to have him as my quarterback trying to lead us to a championship."

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A Reliable Candidate

Burrow has been exceptional on the field.

Just months after his transfer from Ohio State last summer, he took the reins of the offense and helped lead the Tigers to their first 10-win season since 2013.

He completed 219 of his 379 passes (57.8 percent) for 2,894 yards and 16 touchdowns — good for the fourth- and 12th-best totals in program history — including defeats of four top-10 teams.

"I've always been high on Burrow — even last season," said Jake Bienvenu, 32, a life-long LSU fan from St. Martinville, La. "I think his leadership, grit, confidence, toughness and high football IQ were all undeniable. He was the adrenaline shot the LSU offense has needed for quite some time from the quarterback position."

Before Burrow had ever played a game in Baton Rouge, another pair of friends, Steven Miller and Aaron McCauley, coined the nickname "Burbank Joe," as a play off former New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath's old "Broadway Joe" moniker and campus-adjacent Burbank Avenue.

Miller, 40, from Baton Rouge, remembers being excited about some of the buzz.

But the picture of great things to come really began to develop at the this Jan. 1 in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz.

"When he took the cheap shot against UCF in the bowl," Miller said. "How it didn't even seem to phase him and he jumped up and drove the team down to score, I saw there was going to be something very special this season ... We have long been waiting for a starting QB of his talent level and his attitude and leadership for years.

"As Louisianans, we relate to Joe in his confidence on the field, while still being hungry for something greater in mind during his interviews. I was somewhere skeptical in August 2019 when he was coming out saying this offense was going to score 40, 50, 60 points a game. I chalked that up to his confidence talking, but in the back of my mind I was thinking, 'Hell yeah! Let's go!' This season is shaping up to be the greatest LSU football season in history, in my opinion."

Burrow has indeed re-written the purple-and-gold record books.

With another historical performance Saturday in Mississippi, the now-senior has now surpassed predecessors such as Rohan Davey, Matt Mauck and JaMarcus Russell for the LSU single-season leads in passing yards, passing touchdowns and total touchdowns responsible for.

His career-high 489 yards, along with five touchdowns, in a 58-37 victory moved his passing totals to 3,687 yards and 38 touchdowns, with another 215 yards and three scores on 75 rushes.

And his 78.6 percent completion percentage, including an LSU-record 17 consecutive completions Saturday, not only dominates the Division-I leaderboard this season, but is on pace to become the new NCAA benchmark — with a couple percentage points to spare.

Stimulating the Economy 

Burrow's list of accolades grows by the week.

He has been named the SEC's Offensive Player of the Week five times now — and counting — and has already become the first player to earn Davey O'Brien National Quarterback of the Week recognition three times in the same season.

And he is among the likeliest candidates to win each of those yearly distinctions next month, as well as being a finalist for the Maxwell Award and clear favorite for the Heisman trophy, each of which honors the top player in the country.

"I don't vote, but if I get a vote, I'm giving it to him," coach Ed Orgeron said. "I promise you that."

At least one LSU fan saw enough of that potential to put some money behind his confidence.

Matt Porter, 42, placed a $50 bet in June on Burrow to win the Heisman.

The wager's 200-to-1 odds provided the long-time Tigers fan a seemingly slim opportunity to earn a $10,000 payday.

And now, Burrow has exceeded even Porter's expectations to the point that the he is a dominating -1000 favorite to win college football's most prestigious award.

"When I laid the bet, I was thinking that if he could have something like 3,500 yards and 35 total TDs and LSU was in the mix for one of the College Football Playoff spots, it would be a massive story, given our history of offensive ineptitude," said Porter, who fell in love with the program when he moved to Baton Rouge at age 20. "And now we have three regular-season games left, and he has almost 3,400 total yards, 36 total TDs, and LSU is pretty much the one team that's a lock to get into the College Football Playoffs, even with a loss.

"The kid's just slicing up defenses like a surgeon. He's got the answers to every question on the test."

That production and resulting confidence can be felt throughout the entire program.

Junior running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire has said that Burrow gives him the sense that he and the other Tigers "can do no wrong."

"This might be cliche at this point, but difference maker — I mean, he's that guy," Shannon Helaire, Clyde's father, told WAFB TV last week. "And he's got a certain swagger about him. He had it last year, and it seems like he just fine-tuned it. And he came back with an even stronger — just his whole aura with the team. They want to follow him. It's almost like a staff sergeant in the military. They wanna run through a wall and anybody else for him and with him."

Man of the People

As golden as Burrow's arm has been, that personality has played a huge role in the swell of public support, too.

Junior center Lloyd Cushenberry III, who grew up just a few miles outside of Baton Rouge in Carville, La., laughed remembering Burrow having to learn his surroundings.

"When he first got down here, he didn't know anyone," Cushenberry said. "He was eating salads every day. He didn't like seafood."

But, during a weekend visit that included some boiled crawfish, Orgeron convinced the Ohio State transfer that Baton Rouge would be an ideal fit.

Eighteen months later, and Cushenberry says Burrow know Baton Rouge "inside and out."

"He loves Louisiana, and Louisiana loves him," Cushenberry said.

"When my dad cooked the other day," said senior defensive end Rashard Lawrence, from Monroe, La. "I looked at Joe and saw him biting into some turkey necks, and I was just like, 'Man, this dude really is a Louisiana guy now. Every time we've got gumbo in there, he's eating gumbo, turkey necks. I mean, he's really embraced Louisiana, and he's one of us now. And he continues to show it week in and week out."

That mindset is critical in a state so well-known for and proud of its culture.

Burrow has embraced his new home with open arms since arriving last summer, and the feeling has become increasingly mutual.

"Joe has really solidified himself as not just the star quarterback at our state's flagship institution, but also as an advocate for all of us in Louisiana," said university alumnus Jay Ducote, a local food, beverage and culture celebrity. "To have someone transfer in from Ohio and immediately embrace our uniquely Louisiana people, culture and food, all with a huge smile on his face, makes it easy for fans to rally behind him. He always looks like he's having a good time, and we like to let the good times roll."

Five days ago, Baton Rouge rapper and Louisiana legend Boosie BadAzz posted a photograph of him and Burrow on a FaceTime video call to his Instagram account.

"ME N MY BOY," wrote Boosie, adding to his 6.4 million followers: "I NEED ALL MY FANS TO FOLLOW MY QUARTERBACK."

Said LSU fan War'Vreunta Moore, 21, from Shreveport: "He probably knew nothing about (Louisiana) coming in, but I know he loves it now. And that matters so much. As one of my favorite artists, it's cool seeing guys like (Boosie) and Webbie reach out to LSU and the players. It's a community and state thing. The love is passed all throughout the state."

Louisiana natives and LSU fans see an underdog who has persevered through being overlooked at times.

Burrow believed in himself — even when some doubts arose whether his home-state Buckeyes did — and has excelled now that he's been given his opportunity.

"The more you got to know Joe, his background and his family, you realized how familiar it all seemed," Bienvenu said. "He's from a small town, a town that's tied together through one commonality: football. They may sound different and eat different foods, but at their core, they are just like us.

"They love football and they all rally, whole-heartedly, behind their guy. I think that it why it haas been such a seamless, symbiotic embrace. Joe Burrow is Louisiana — he just happens to be from Ohio."

He has spun his way through opposing defenses and sprung back up without missing a beat when tacklers have finally hit him — often hard or late in an attempt to send a message.

More often than not, he's sent his own.

He has princess-waved away a hostile Texas crowd, ended an eight-game drought to powerhouse Alabama and torched hated Ole Miss.

He's danced in victory and laughed at silly questions and awkward moments.

"To me, he embodies the toughness LSU is known for over the years," said life-long fan Ron Blankenship, 51, who grew up in Alexandria and attended the university in the early 1990s. "It feels like a perfect match. He's easy to love because he can laugh at himself and have fun, but is also a great leader. He has a wonderful family that has fit right in with the Louisiana fandom like a glove. It's really amazing if you think about it.

"The families of the players, including the Burrows, have a blast at the games. He will be a legend around here long after he's moved on."

The Campaign Continues

As for politics, the governor's mansion will — at least technically — have to wait.

Burrow has show vision.

He has excelled under pressure in the pocket and in press conferences and found answers in every instance.

He's exceeded expectations and even improved the economy — at least Porter's.

Like most politicians, Burrow even briefly showed his own rear end one humorous afternoon in Starkville, Miss.

But a candidate must be 25 to be eligible for the position in the state of Louisiana.

And, popular as he may be, Burrow's current priorities remain on the field — back home in Baton Rouge the next two weeks, in Atlanta on Dec. 7 and Dec. 28 and then New Orleans in January.

Don't rule the notion out long-term, though.

"He might get in one day," Cushenberry smiled.

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