GLENDALE, Ariz. — There were no tears for Chris Worley, but the pang in his football soul ran deep.
The linebacker and his Ohio State teammates had just suffered a 31-0 loss to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl on Saturday night at the University of Phoenix Stadium.
The drive for a national championship, which had seemed so improbable at the beginning of the season for such a young team, had just come to an abrupt halt.
“We were considered a top-four team in the country, and we had an opportunity to play for it all,” Worley said.