Notre Dame's decision to allow fans into season-opening victory a move in the right direction

As Notre Dame's players and coaches came sprinting out of the tunnel to begin their college football season Saturday, they were met by a strange sound:

The roar of a crowd.

Mind you it wasn't the full-throated roar of 80,000 fans that normally echoes throughout Notre Dame Stadium on game day. But the 15,000-plus who were on hand for the Irish's 27-13 victory over Duke certainly let their voices, music and school spirit be heard.

In the six months since the coronavirus shut down the NHL and NBA we've seen all kinds of decisions across the sports landscape. The only common thread seems to be that each one fails to please everyone - and many times they fail to please anyone.

As for allowing 20-25 percent capacity at outdoor stadiums, it's definitely a move in the right direction. If we can walk past each other in grocery stores, attend church, go to the doctor and dentist, and fly on airplanes, then we can keep fans safe in these massive stadiums.

Hopefully the Bears will run a reverse on their policy and allow a portion of Soldier Field to be filled at some point this season.

We ought to allow high school kids in Illinois to hold state tournaments for golf, cross country, girls tennis, and girls swimming and diving as well.

There are some awfully bright minds in the Land of Lincoln. How difficult would it be to determine a state champion in each of these sports?

Indoor stadiums are a bit trickier because of how the coronavirus spreads. But why not start with 10 percent capacity at the United Center when the Blackhawks and Bulls begin their 2020-21 seasons?

There's no doubt that it costs a lot of money to operate a stadium on game day, but there are ways to keep expenses in check. One would be to allow concessions, but only at a couple of locations on the 100 and 300 levels. Have fans order and pay through a mobile app, then have the food and drinks waiting for pickup at a specified location and time.

Compromise. And get creative.

It can work.

Speaking of getting creative, that's exactly what Notre Dame did after a sluggish first quarter in which Duke took a 3-0 lead.

With the offense spinning its wheels, the Irish called for a fake punt on fourth-and-8 from their own 21 with 12:40 remaining in the second quarter. Punter Jay Bramblett scampered for 14 yards, and 6 plays later sophomore RB Kyren Williams scored from 1 yard out to give Notre Dame a 7-3 lead.

"We needed something," Irish coach Brian Kelly said. "Everybody was kind of sleepy-eyed, so we needed to wake up a little bit."

The Irish led just 10-6 at halftime and 17-13 after three quarters but put the game away when Ian Book (19-for-31, 263 yards) hit Avery Davis on a 17-yard TD pass and by tacking on a field goal with 5:21 remaining.

Williams scored twice and piled up 205 yards from scrimmage, 75 of which came on a swing pass in the second quarter. Williams' other score came on a 26-yard TD run on fourth-and-1 with 7:57 remaining in third quarter. It gave ND a 17-6 lead.

In the end, the opener was definitely a true crowd pleaser.

"It feels so good to be out here," Book said. "Obviously just to have our band, our fans, our family - there's nothing like it."

Let's see more of it. Because that's a win-win for all of us.