Brian Kelly Addresses Fans Storming Field After Notre Dame's 2OT Win vs. Clemson

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly attempted to prepare his team for the potential aftermath of a victory over No. 1 Clemson on Saturday, but it may not have worked. 

After the Fighting Irish defeated the Tigers in double overtime, 47-40, the limited capacity crowd at Notre Dame Stadium rushed the field, creating a potentially dangerous situation in the middle of a pandemic as players were trying to get back into their locker rooms.

"I told our team at our walkthrough today, I said: 'I just want you to know when we win this thing, the fans are gonna storm the field," Kelly told reporters. "With COVID being as it is, we gotta get off the field and get to the tunnel."

Reporters at the stadium noted players hurried off the field as fans poured out of the stands. 

Notre Dame Stadium is allowing just 20 percent of its total fan capacity to attend games due to the virus. That would amount to an attendance of 16,159 on Saturday. 

According to the New York Times, the state of Indiana saw 4,648 new cases reported on Saturday with 36 new deaths from COVID-19. Notre Dame's own coronavirus dashboard reported 17 new cases as of Friday with an estimated 220 cases active across campus. 

That led to school president Father John Jenkins asking students to take caution over the next two weeks as the fall semester comes to a close. 

"We must recognize that not wearing a mask or maintaining distance is now considerably more risky, with the rapid rise the virus, than it was even a few weeks ago,” Jenkins said.