As the tackle numbers pile up, Manti Te'o grows increasingly comfortable. And ambitious. Conquering the intricacies of playing linebacker for Notre Dame as a freshman apparently led to an attempt to conquer frosty Midwest temperatures through sheer willpower.
This is an idea to which the Hawaii native may bid aloha sooner than later.
"I kind of have the mentality that if I can go out there without long sleeves, I can actually get used to it," Te'o said Thursday. "But I don't think that strategy works too much."
His approach so far otherwise is entirely productive. Since starting against Washington, he leads the Irish with 27 tackles, which nicely dovetailed with the theme of Thursday night: Irish coach Charlie Weis loosened his no-freshman-interviews policy for a player who is contributing because he loosened up.
"The only thing I had to work on is relaxing," Te'o said. "Through confidence, you learn to relax. I was always uptight and stressed because I didn't want to make a mistake. I didn't want to let my coach down and my team down. I knew I just had to relax and just do my job."
There is still ample room for improvement in any number of ways, starting with something as small as not staring down quarterbacks while neglecting his assigment to knock a receiver off his route.
Still, Te'o clearly knows more than he did in Week 1, and he clearly plays faster as a result. During that first start against Washington, Te'o -- who finished with 10 tackles in the game -- said the entire picture "clicked."
"Whenever you're put in the situation where it's not in practice, you don't have any do-overs, the pressure is on," Te'o said. "Being in that situation more often, you kind of get used to it."
It has eased the transition even more. On his eye black during games, he still writes his last name and the area code for Hawaii. His way of showing who he's playing for also betrays some lingering homesickness, but becoming a central cog to the Irish defense has cooled the longing for warmer climes.
"The main part of it is, I know I'm helping my team," Te'o said. "I'm helping them come out on top. One guy can't really make a difference, but to know I'm part of something and I'm actually contributing to something special, that's what brings me joy."
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