PASADENA, Calif. -- With 40 seconds left in the 105th Rose Bowl, Urban Meyer emphatically pumped his fists in the air one last time as Ohio State's head coach with a victorious 28-23 score beaming on the north end zone scoreboard.
As the clock dripped to zero and Washington's late comeback officially ended, senior receivers Parris Campbell and Terry McLaurin walked Meyer arm-and-arm toward midfield before a Gatorade bath greeted the smiling Meyer for one last frozen feeling.
From there, it was a victory lap that didn't quite feel long enough for a coach who announced in early December that he was retiring from coaching after 34 years.