Maybe it’s the fact that his favorite athlete is current Milwaukee Bucks guard and former Cleveland Cavalier Matthew Dellavedova, who is known in the NBA for his hustle and all-out effort.
Or maybe that is just Joe Burrow — a Midwestern quarterback who believes in getting every single inch out of every single play.
“I’m not a slider,” said Burrow after LSU’s 31-0 win over Southeastern Saturday. “I told Coach [Ensminger] and all my teammates I’m not a slider, and they never really believed me, I don’t think. I don’t think quarterbacks should be able to slide. It’s not in my DNA.”
The junior quarterback carried the ball six times for 30 yards and a touchdown and was sacked twice for a loss of 10 yards. Burrow took multiple hits inside and outside the pocket on Saturday, and it’s something LSU coach Ed Orgeron wants to see change.
“We have to teach him how to avoid the rush and how to get down when he needs to,” Orgeron said. “I don’t think that’s something that we need to be doing every down when we only have two quarterbacks.”
Like Orgeron said, LSU only has two scholarship quarterbacks — Burrow and sophomore Myles Brennan. The Tigers can’t afford to lose either to injury or other reasons, and Orgeron isn’t the only one who knows it.
“I’ve got to talk to Joe about that because that’s bad for a quarterback to take big hits,” said sophomore cornerback Greedy Williams. “So, I just have to talk to him and let him know. I know you don’t want to slide, but you got to get down because we need you.”
Even if Williams manages to get through to Burrow in the next week, the Ohio State transfer was adamant about his refusal to slide. Burrow’s grit and toughness is something that is reminiscent of former quarterback Danny Etling, whose best trait was arguably his ability to shake off a big hit and not let it affect him.
LSU is going to need Burrow to bounce back up when they begin conference play, especially with inconsistencies on its offensive line.
Senior guard Garrett Brumfield says the team has talented players and a good scheme, but penalties stopped them for getting into a grove against the Lions. Brumfield, junior guard Damien Lewis and junior right tackle Badara Traore were all called for penalties that totaled 45 yards combined.
The offensive line also struggled in pass protection, giving up two sacks and allowing hits on Burrow throughout the game. Orgeron said it was a combination of wide receivers not getting open, Burrow holding onto the ball for too long and spotty blocking.
“Joe’s a guy that sometimes we’re shocked because he may take a shot and say it’s all good,” Brumfield said. “His catch phrase when he comes to the huddle is ‘What’s up, guys?’ and he’ll take shot and come back and say ‘What’s up, guys?’
“He’s really shown a lot of resilience for that, and, of course, we want to eliminate those times as best as we can.”
For Burrow, however, it doesn’t seem like the unnecessary shots he takes will be eliminated. When asked what will happen if he sees a 260-pound defender running at him Burrow said there’s going to be a collision. 
“I don’t know how to slide, no. I’m not a slider — never practiced sliding, never will slide,” Burrow said.