Irish Players Blue Over Notre Dame’s Season With No Alliance Bowl Offers, Will Show Off Skills At Blue-Gray

Jeremy Akers and Robert Farmer of Notre Dame figured they’d be headed to a major bowl game about now. Spending Christmas Day at the Blue-Gray game in Alabama never even crossed their minds.

But in a fitting close to a season where nothing went as expected for the Irish, the players will be in Montgomery today, closing their college careers on the Blue squad in the annual All-Star game.

“It’s hard and really disappointing that we’re not going to a bowl,” said Akers, an offensive lineman. “But we’re dealing with it and I’m trying to make the best of it. I’m just looking at this as a great opportunity to help myself out.”

Because coaches of bowl-bound teams don’t usually release their players to come to the game, the Blue-Gray is usually a showcase of lesser-knowns, out to play in front of NFL scouts on what is sometimes their only national television appearance of the season.

“Everyone knows we set goals for ourselves and one of them was that we wanted to go to an Alliance bowl,” said Akers, part of the first Notre Dame team in 10 years to miss the postseason.

Akers will be lining up just a few positions away from Chris Miller, a receiver for the Southern Cal team that put the dagger into Notre Dame’s postseason hopes in a 27-20 win over the Irish.

Idaho’s Phillips out

University of Idaho senior defensive end Ryan Phillips will not play in the game after reinjuring a hamstring. He is undergoing rehabilitation with the intent of playing in the East-West Shrine game Jan. 11.

, DataTimes