Penalty flags were not the only objects flying rampantly in Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday.
It was a jet-puffed finale for the seniors at this weekend's final season home game against Pittsburgh. Yet despite the blatant escalation of the usual halftime marshmallow fight, no students were ejected from the game for partaking in the tradition.
Coordinator of stadium personnel Cappy Gagnon christened the incident as "the worst marshmallow throwing" he had ever witnessed.
"It involved a larger quantity, was wider-spread and lasted longer," Gagnon said.
According to Gagnon, students were not removed from the game because an article printed in The Observer on Friday implied that rules would be more lenient because of the nature of the final season home game.
"It was reported that the ushers were not going to eject seniors for marshmallow throwing," Gagnon said. "We didn't want to hold it against the students."
The article said that rumors suggest the ushers have traditionally given seniors the go-ahead in their final marshmallow war. The article also added, however, that these rumors were "unconfirmed."
Gagnon maintained the lack of ejections was directly due to stadium personnel's concern that seniors held erroneous expectations regarding the consequences of marshmallow throwing at the last home game.
"It would be unfair to remove people under these conditions," Gagnon said.
At the final home game last year, 56 students were ejected for throwing marshmallows.
However, this year, only 27 students total were ejected, including "four or five in the senior sections for unrelated incidents," according to Gagnon.
The joint task force of Indiana State Excise Police, St. Joseph County Police, South Bend Police and Notre Dame Security/Police also issued a total of 39 citations Saturday for alcohol-related offenses, NDSP director Rex Rakow said. These offenses include minor in consumption, minor in possession and public intoxication.
Nine custodial arrests were also made on game day, seven before the game and two during the game, Rakow said. Two Notre Dame students were arrested prior to the game for public intoxication, and a student and an alumnus were arrested during the game for resisting arrest, public intoxication and disorderly conduct. They were removed from the Stadium.
Claire Heininger contributed to this report.
