Manti Te'o on Notre Dame against Ohio State: 'They're going to come out there swinging'

Notre Dame legend Manti Te’o helped the Irish to several big wins during his time in South Bend. He is hopeful that his former team can get another big one on Saturday against Ohio State.

Te’o joined The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday to preview this weekend’s game and discuss a number of other topics. The former Maxwell Award winner and unanimous All-American expects Notre Dame to play well against the Buckeyes.

“You’ve got an Ohio State team that’s coming in. So this is going to be a big test — not only for the team, but just like the atmosphere,” Te’o said. “Ohio State has got that brand, they’ve got that name. And sometimes when you’re in that transition period, you don’t know whether guys are going to look at that Ohio State brand, that name, and be intimidated by it. Or if they’re going to come out and swing. I have no doubt they’re going to come out there swinging.”

Saturday is a big opportunity for Notre Dame and Marcus Freeman to get a signature win and prove that the Irish are national title contenders.

Notre Dame has impressed so far this season, but Ohio State presents by far the biggest challenge yet.

Even with this being a bit of a transition period with Freeman only being in his second year as the Notre Dame head coach, Te’o believes the Irish will be ready for the moment. Freeman is a big part of the reason Te’o feels that way.

“I really, really love coach Freeman, man. And that’s why I feel like we have a team. It’s his second year leading the team. It’s his second year kind of embedding his mentality, his DNA into the team. I really like what I’ve seen so far,” Te’o said. “Ohio State coming in this weekend, College GameDay’s going to be there, y’all are going to be there. It’s going to be electric. I wish I was going to be there. So it’s going to be a big test, for sure.”

Greg McElroy considers whether Notre Dame can beat Ohio State

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy also recently spoke about the Notre Dame-Ohio State game and what he expects to happen this weekend.

McElroy said during ‘Always College Football’ on Wednesday that Notre Dame has the type of team that can cause the Buckeyes issues.

“Do they have the size and speed in space and all this stuff? I’m not sure. But I think they have the offensive line,” McElroy explained. “That’s, I think, the big question. Can you take the air out of the football? Can you protect against an athletic group up front that’s going to try to pin their ears back in obvious pass situations? Will you protect Sam Hartman and allow him enough time to survey the field and find a receiving corps? That to me, at this moment, is improved but, still, against top-quality competition, is a bit of question mark? … I’m cautiously optimistic that Notre Dame can play their game against the Buckeyes.”