"Notre Dame team as a whole was WEAK": Former Alabama QB approves Manti Te'o's intimidating revelation from 2013 championship game

Earlier this week, former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o recalled the time his Fighting Irish lost the 2013 national championship game against Alabama. Alabama's starting quarterback in that game, AJ McCarron, has now shared his side of the story.

On Saturday, McCarron responded to a video on X, in which Te'o described Notre Dame's intimidated mindset heading into the final:

"He is RIGHT about that. They never flinched or even got started. They stayed completely still, while we came flying off the starting line. Manti was one hell of a player and ND had some great players. I'm not bashing them but that Notre Dame team as a whole was WEAK."

Just before the 2013 national championship game, Notre Dame was the top-ranked team in the country. The Fighting Irish also headed into the final with an unbeaten 12-0 record.

However, Nick Saban's Alabama crushed the Fighting Irish in a blowout 42-14 win at Hard Rock Stadium to clinch the national title. The Tide rushed to a 28-0 lead at halftime and were in full control of the game until the final whistle.

McCarron finished the game by completing 20 of his 28 passes for 264 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.

What did Manti Te'o say about Notre Dame's 2013 national championship game vs. Alabama?

Former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o (Source: Imagn)

Manti Te'o had a phenomenal run for the Norte Dame in the 2012 season. He finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up just two weeks before the national championship game against Alabama.

However, during an appearance on "Good Morning Football" earlier this week, Te'o recalled how his Fighting Irish teammates felt when they were in the tunnel with the Tide players before heading onto the field.

“Alabama hasn’t come out yet,” Te’o began. “My guys are hyped, they’re loud, they’re doing their thing. … Alabama’s locker room door opens and they start running out.

"They’re going out and I do remember this very vividly — my soon-to-be teammate, DJ Fluker, and Chance Warmack come running out of the locker room with their jerseys — their big bellies are out. I remember DJ Fluker going by and saying ‘WOMP WOMP. WOMP WOMP.’"

He continued:

“I vividly remember the silence behind me and I kind of glanced back at my teammates and the eyes on them were so large, I knew at that time, I thought, ‘Alright, this is going to be a long day.’ To my guys’ credit, they never flinched but let me tell you guys, when we played the Alabama team in 2013, there was a difference. There was a difference with those 'Bama boys.”

Notre Dame eventually finished as runner's up. It was also Manti Te'o's final collegiate game before he was selected by the then-San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft.