Leadership a Major Component to LSU’s Early Success in 2019

Fehoko, Burrow talk the importance of having a player-driven team when it comes to leadership

Breiden Fehoko walked into Monday's player meetings expecting a different vibe. After the Tigers had just beat top-10 SEC foe Florida 24 hours earlier, Fehoko was expecting a bit of a hangover from the team's big win.

So the senior defensive end was surprised by the reaction in the locker room.

"You play a big game like that the mentality is to come in and relax," Fehoko said. "But you have to treat every game like it's your last. We came in today and it kind of felt like we lost. Everybody was just kind of really focused and not in a bad way but we just kind of felt like let's move on to the next game."

That's because, like Fehoko, this team has goals much larger than beating a top-10 SEC team or starting the season off 6-0 for the first time since 2011, a season that birthed a BCS Championship appearance.

After the game on Saturday night, quarterback Joe Burrow gave a speech in the locker room, letting his teammates know what the goals should be for this team. 

"Don't let good enough stand in the way of greatness," Burrow revealed to the media after the game.

"After the game on Saturday, Joe was talking about getting to practice already and getting our mindset ready for a Tuesday practice," Fehoko said. "I mean shoot I'm glad he's not our coach because he'd probably have us practice after the game. That's the leadership we need."

LSU coach Ed Orgeron was right on cue in agreement with Fehoko's summation of the Burrow speech.

"LSU standard of performance. That's what you want your leader to do," Orgeron said. "I told him jokingly, I said, I'm glad you're not the head coach, we'd be practicing tomorrow morning. He was kind of PO'd, but I like that. That's true leadership. Joe knows where we want to go. We all know where we want to go. We got to do it one date at a time."

So would Burrow have really made the team practice on Sunday?

"No," Burrow said. "I mean it was a big win but I just wanted to make sure that everyone knew that our goals are still in front of us and we still have a long way to go to get to where we want to get to."

While the Tigers don't face a similar Mississippi State team in terms of talent this weekend, they walk into a very hostile environment, and will need their leaders to step up on the road.

LSU will need to rely on the chemistry of its top performers on both offense and defense to mask the loudness of the cowbells, something Burrow said the team will practice this week.

"We can look at each other, make eye contact and know what each other is going to do," Burrow said. "That's big having that experience and that cohesion on offense." 

Two years ago, when the Tigers last traveled to Starkville and lost in blowout fashion 37-7, Orgeron said he didn't have the team prepared for the hostile environment, calling it walking into a "hornet's nest."

Fehoko believes the leadership is "night and day" different from two years ago and that it will show in the Tigers’ effort and performance on Saturday this go around.

"It's player driven now, this team is led by players," Fehoko said. "I think when you have a team led by players your coaches can actually do their job and just coach. When you have guys leading with example, leaders at each position, it makes it easier for the coaches to give us the gameplan."