ATLANTA -- Joe Burrow put the finishing touches on his Heisman Trophy campaign on Saturday, adding another dazzling performance to a season full of them in LSU's 37-10 victory over Georgia in the SEC championship game.
Burrow set an SEC single-season record with his 45th touchdown pass, throwing a 23-yard strike in the first quarter to Ja'Marr Chase. The touchdown broke the previous record of 44, which was set by former Missouri quarterback Drew Lock in 2017.
Afterward, when Burrow had finished with 349 yards and four touchdowns and won the game's MVP award, his coach, Ed Orgeron, called him the "best player in the country."
"In my opinion, he should win it," Orgeron said of Burrow's Heisman Trophy candidacy. "In my opinion, he's going to win it. The best thing about Joe is he's a team player. All he wants to do is win this game. Individual awards are not high on his list. That's what makes him such a great team player."
LSU wide receiver Justin Jefferson echoed those Heisman sentiments.
"He won it weeks ago," he said.
Burrow began his career at Ohio State but went to LSU as a graduate transfer prior to the start of last season. He started every game in 2018 and finished with 16 passing touchdowns.
Aided by the addition of new passing game coordinator Joe Brady, Burrow surpassed last season's total just four games into this season.
"This is what we work for," Burrow said after the game. "It doesn't come to a surprise to anybody on this field right now. It might come to a surprise to the nation, but we worked for this and we knew how good we are."
Orgeron lauded the way Burrow has led by example since the minute he joined the team.
"This is his team, and the reason it's his team, it's because he earned their respect," Orgeron said. "I've got to give it to Joe. Joe's quiet, doesn't say much. He leads by his actions. But every once in a while, he'll say something when things aren't going right, and that's the mark of a true leader.
"But he does it on the field. He backs it up. The whole team, everybody in the organization believes in Joe."