Most people probably don’t need a reminder, but Fernando Mendoza started the season as the third-string quarterback. Since then, Mendoza has started the last six games, including four ranked opponents in a row and his first Big Game.

Over the past six weeks, Mendoza said he has seen a lot of change in his mindset and leadership abilities. While against Oregon State — his first career start — the redshirt freshman said his goal was to energize the team, since then, his experience has allowed him to become a better leader.

“I’ve grown as a leader as we’ve been in some really tough situations and some really great situations, so you kind of get both ends of the stick,” Mendoza said Wednesday. “You start developing your leadership skills in different situations, because you don’t want to be the same guy harping the same message, because if you keep on harping the same message every single drive, every single game, it loses value. So you try to switch up the messaging and you try to see how you connect with your teammates better on the field.”

This isn’t to say that Mendoza hasn’t always had leadership in mind. Even when he was on scout team and during spring football, Mendoza said he “always had the mindset of being the best leader and the best quarterback” he could be. Whatever it was, the young quarterback said he always made sure that he was at the top of his game — both for himself and for his teammates.

“I knew that the teammates saw that I cared about them, which I deeply do, and if I put in the extra work, that they’ll end up respecting me, and that’s what I hope that it’s come to at this point. So, I believe that leadership is one of the biggest aspects for a quarterback,” Mendoza said. “I’m glad to be developing in that role of a leader and look forward to growing in it.”