IRISH STEW

Riggs, Hendrix help National team to win

Associated Press

ND Insider

CARSON, Calif. —Terrell Watson and Channing Fugate had short touchdown runs to help the National team beat the American squad 17-0 in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl on Saturday.

Notre Dame cornerback Cody Riggs and former Irish quarterback Andrew Hendrix helped the National team’s cause. Riggs was part of a smothering defense that held the American squad to 178 total yards and nine first downs.

Hendrix, who played for Miami (Ohio) in 2014, completed 4 of 9 passes for 47 yards and ran three yards on a fourth-and-1 play to keep a drive alive.

The game was a showcase for NFL Draft hopefuls. Tight end Ben Koyack is the only other Irish player scheduled to play in an all-star game from a very small ND senior class. He’ll play in the highest-profile of the games, the Senior Bowl, next Saturday at Mobile, Ala.

Watson, a Division II star at nearby Azusa Pacific, had a two-yard scoring run and finished with nine carries for a game-high 55 yards. He was selected the game MVP.

National team quarterback Andrew Hendrix, center left, of Miami (Ohio), is sacked by American team's Kalafitoni Pole, of Washington State, during the second half of the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Saturday in Carson, Calif. The National team won 17-0. (AP Photo/JAE C. HONG)