CHICAGO – Nearing the end of a full day of media obligations at Big Ten Media Days, there was one topic that Ohio State’s Billy Price, Tyquan Lewis and Chris Worley were clearly sick of hearing about: the Buckeyes’ loss to Clemson in last season’s Fiesta Bowl.
"Man, I’m tired of talking about that game," Price said Monday, interjecting before a reporter could even complete his question. "I’m tired of talking about it, no offense."
That loss – the only time Urban Meyer has ever been shut out in his coaching career – goes down as one of the most lopsided defeats in Ohio State history. It was an embarrassing way to end a season that otherwise went well for the Buckeyes, as they won 11 of their 12 regular season games and earned their second College Football Playoff berth in three years.
Clemson fans still love talking about that game. Follow some Tigers fans on Twitter, and you’ll see regular reminders of the game’s 31-0 final score.
Ohio State’s coach and players, however, don’t want to talk about it anymore.
"We’ve kind of let that one go," said Ohio State coach Urban Meyer. "That ship has sailed. It’s gone. And we've not addressed it. We've not talked about it."
In the past, Meyer has been known to use losses as a motivating factor for his team. Price said there were videos and other reminders of the Fiesta Bowl loss around the facility during the offseason that served as motivation. Meyer said he has not yet determined whether he will invoke that loss as motivation during this year’s fall camp.
Worley, knowing Meyer from four years of experience, believes it will ultimately come up.
"He’s always trying to figure out a way to get the best out of his players," Worley said. "If he did things right and he recruited competitors and he has competitors on his team … if you’re a competitor and you bring that up, what other choice do you have other than take that as a fuel?"
Although he’d prefer not to discuss it at this point, nearly eight months later, the memory of the loss is still painful for Meyer and his players.
"It was awful," Meyer said. "I could sugar-coat it and tell you something (different), but it was awful."
Urban Meyer didn't have much to smile about during Ohio State's 31-0 loss to Clemson.
What Meyer doesn’t want, though, is for his team to dwell on the past.
"Where we’re at as a team, I like where we’re at, so we’re just pushing forward," Meyer said.
“That ship has sailed. It’s gone. And we've not addressed it. We've not talked about it.”– Urban Meyer
Worley said he tries not to think about the loss anymore, but it sometimes pops back into his mind.
"The mind is a dangerous thing," Worley said. "Now and then, it reverts back, but I’m trying to get away from it."
Lewis said he stopped thinking about the loss after about two weeks, instead choosing to think about how he could get better as a player.
Price said the loss gave him a "stinging feeling," but he believes the loss taught the Buckeyes lessons about accountability and attention to detail.
"The fun part again is you start a new season," Price said. "The multiple times that it’s been brought up today, it’s terrible to think about it, but again, it comes back to lessons being learned."
Worley said the loss left the Buckeyes with an awful feeling that is "still not completely out." That might never be out unless they get an opportunity to redeem themselves in this year’s College Football Playoff. But it also humbled the Buckeyes, which could serve them well this season.
"God has a funny way of humbling everyone," Worley said. "Whenever you think you’re too big or too great for something, God will humble you in some way. Everyone will get humbled, and we definitely got humbled last year. And that’s exactly why in the offseason, we took accountability and took ownership and that was a big mantra of ours throughout the offseason."
