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Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett
Manti Te'o remembers watching the entire 2005 game between Notre Dame and USC from his home in Hawaii. He didn't have a rooting interest at the time.
"That was the first time I learned that when Notre Dame wears green jerseys, it's a special game for them," Te'o said. "That whole experience of just watching them all the way in Hawaii was amazing."
Te'o couldn't have known at the time that he would play a key role in the same game four years later. The true freshman linebacker for the Fighting Irish got his first career start against Washington last week and will be needed to make plays against the school he almost attended.
The Trojans were involved in a fierce recruiting battle for Te'o and thought he would be their next Rey Maualuga. Instead, he shocked everybody by choosing the cold winters in South Bend.
"I think I made the best decision and the right decision for me and my family," Te'o said.
In his two media sessions since arriving on campus -- one in late August and one on Wednesday night -- Te'o has talked repeatedly about how special Notre Dame is. He's had to adapt to many things, including the climate. (He recently wised up and started wearing long sleeves to practice). Being so far from home has been the toughest adjustment, but it's helped that his parents made the grueling flight to attend both the Nevada and Washington games this season.
"My mom was crying the first time she was here," he said. "I think that answers all the questions about what this place means to them."
Te'o said having his parents in the stands for his first start meant the world to him. His favorite moment from the game was making a tackle and pointing to his mother in the crowd. After seeing spot duty the first four games, Te'o recorded 10 tackles against Washington in a 37-30 overtime victory.
"With the 10 tackles maybe came 10 mistakes as well," head coach Charlie Weis said. "But there will be less mistakes each week, and he'll continue to make tackles. I think we gained a lot more than we lost."
Te'o admitted that he "just in awe the whole game" and was lost at times. But what impressed his teammates was that didn't pretend to know everything.
"He seemed really poised out there," linebacker Brian Smith said. "There were some times where he'd get confused on what we were doing as far as checks, but he'd look at the formation, find out and get it done. He's done a better job of just communicating; when he's not sure, he'll turn around and find me, find Kyle (McCarthy), find Harrison (Smith)."
Te'o is still learning and adapting, but he gives the Notre Dame defense a dimension it will definitely need against USC on Oct. 17. The 6-foot-2, 244-pounder can make plays all over the field and hopefully help shore up a defense that has had trouble tackling or coming up with stops outside the goal line.
"You're going to go through some growing pains when he's going to be out there that much," Weis said. "But his speed and athleticism cover for a lot of the things."
Te'o growing up fast for Notre Dame - College Football Nation - ESPN
Manti Te'o remembers watching the entire 2005 game between Notre Dame and USC from his home in Hawaii. He didn't have a rooting interest at the time.
"That was the first time I learned that when Notre Dame wears green jerseys, it's a special game for them," Te'o said. "That whole experience of just watching them all the way in Hawaii was amazing."
Te'o couldn't have known at the time that he would play a key role in the same game four years later. The true freshman linebacker for the Fighting Irish got his first career start against Washington last week and will be needed to make plays against the school he almost attended.
The Trojans were involved in a fierce recruiting battle for Te'o and thought he would be their next Rey Maualuga. Instead, he shocked everybody by choosing the cold winters in South Bend.
"I think I made the best decision and the right decision for me and my family," Te'o said.
In his two media sessions since arriving on campus -- one in late August and one on Wednesday night -- Te'o has talked repeatedly about how special Notre Dame is. He's had to adapt to many things, including the climate. (He recently wised up and started wearing long sleeves to practice). Being so far from home has been the toughest adjustment, but it's helped that his parents made the grueling flight to attend both the Nevada and Washington games this season.
"My mom was crying the first time she was here," he said. "I think that answers all the questions about what this place means to them."
Te'o said having his parents in the stands for his first start meant the world to him. His favorite moment from the game was making a tackle and pointing to his mother in the crowd. After seeing spot duty the first four games, Te'o recorded 10 tackles against Washington in a 37-30 overtime victory.
"With the 10 tackles maybe came 10 mistakes as well," head coach Charlie Weis said. "But there will be less mistakes each week, and he'll continue to make tackles. I think we gained a lot more than we lost."
Te'o admitted that he "just in awe the whole game" and was lost at times. But what impressed his teammates was that didn't pretend to know everything.
"He seemed really poised out there," linebacker Brian Smith said. "There were some times where he'd get confused on what we were doing as far as checks, but he'd look at the formation, find out and get it done. He's done a better job of just communicating; when he's not sure, he'll turn around and find me, find Kyle (McCarthy), find Harrison (Smith)."
Te'o is still learning and adapting, but he gives the Notre Dame defense a dimension it will definitely need against USC on Oct. 17. The 6-foot-2, 244-pounder can make plays all over the field and hopefully help shore up a defense that has had trouble tackling or coming up with stops outside the goal line.
"You're going to go through some growing pains when he's going to be out there that much," Weis said. "But his speed and athleticism cover for a lot of the things."
Te'o growing up fast for Notre Dame - College Football Nation - ESPN
