Two consecutive home football game weekends resulted in an unusually large number of alcohol-related arrests, and the Oct. 15 game against Southern California was especially problematic, police said.
"The USC game was an exceptionally busy day for police activity, and we were particularly concerned about the level of intoxication that officers observed," Notre Dame Security/Police Assistant Director (NDSP) Phil Johnson said.
Johnson said NDSP, South Bend, St. Joseph County and Indiana State Excise police officers working in the parking lots prior to the game made six custodial arrests and wrote 23 arrest tickets to 19 adults.
Officers issued one ticket to a student who was providing beer to both his high school-age brother and to another 20-year-old student, Johnson said.
Johnson said nine custodial arrests - four of which were students - were made at the Stadium during the game for public intoxication.
Alcohol-related rule violations comprised "most" of the 28 other ejections from the Stadium, Johnson said.
Cappy Gagnon, coordinator of stadium personnel, said 18 students were ejected from the game. A large majority of these ejections, 16, were because of intoxication. Two ejections resulted from marshmallow throwing incidents.
Johnson said one student was transported to the hospital by an ambulance for intoxication.
Gagnon was troubled by the alcohol-related problems not only at the USC game, but also at Saturday's game against Brigham Young.
"It's a concern," Gagnon said. "If people are so intoxicated they can't even stand up, what would they do if we didn't remove them? Would they wander off into the middle of Juniper Road? What would happen if we didn't remove students passed out in the restrooms so they could receive proper medical attention?"
Before the BYU game, Johnson said the alcohol enforcement team working in campus parking lots made one custodial arrest. Officers issued citations to eight juveniles and issued 20 tickets to adults.
All tickets were for alcohol-related offenses, either minor consuming or minor in possession of alcohol, John-son said. Johnson said one non-student custodial arrest was made at the Stadium, and 18 people were ejected from the BYU game for alcohol violations. Seven were Notre Dame students, and 11 were non-students. Gagnon said all students ejected from the BYU game were done so for either intoxication or alcohol possession.
Gagnon also said marshmallow throwing has not been as much of a problem this year, but Stadium personnel will "keep looking" for students throwing objects in the stands.
