Notre Dame to limit attendance at final home game to faculty and staff, players' families

SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame will close the home portion of its 2020 football season in front of likely the smallest crowd in Notre Dame Stadium history.

The school revealed its ticket plan Friday for the lone remaining home game — Dec. 5 versus Syracuse (2:30 p.m. EST) — and the only one in which ND students won’t be on campus to attend the game.

Attendance will be limited to faculty and staff and the immediate members of their households as well as players' families. Tickets will be complimentary. No tickets will be available to the public.

Faculty/staff can acquire up to six tickets. A Notre Dame ID must be presented upon entry.

Because of COVID-19 concerns, attendance was capped at 15,525 this season in the 77,622-seat facility. The Irish averaged between 10,182 (Louisville on Oct. 17) and 11,011 (Clemson on Nov. 7) for their first five home games.

Only students, faculty/staff and players’ families were admitted for those games along with a small visiting-team allotment.

The Louisville attendance figure is the fourth-smallest in stadium history. The record low for attendance at the facility, which opened in 1930, is 9,221 for the 1933 season opener with Kansas that ended in a 0-0 tie.

The Irish played one game on the road with no fans in attendance this season, its 45-31 victory at Boston College last Saturday.

The second-ranked Irish (8-0, 7-0 ACC) finished final exams Friday and have an open date this Saturday. Their next game is against offensive-minded North Carolina (6-2, 6-2 ACC) next Friday in Chapel Hill, N.C.

The Tar Heels rank fifth nationally in both total offense (563.4 yards per game) and yards per play (7.7). They too are idle this weekend.

After the Syracuse game, Notre Dame concludes its regular season Dec. 12 at Wake Forest, with a likely berth in the ACC Championship Game, Dec. 19 in Charlotte, N.C., to follow.