It was still a loss. Yet for some reason this one seemed easier to swallow for Ohio State’s players and fans.

“That’s the problem in tight ballgames like this,“ Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. “Two outstanding teams, sometimes you finish it (and) the game ends when you are the one ahead, and sometimes the game ends when you’re not.“

An early lead, missed opportunities, a heartbreaking finish.

It’s all Buckeyes: OSU President Gordon Gee, Archie Griffin, Jim Tressel and James Laurinaitis talk about tonight’s bowl game.

Now it’s time to play power football, Ohio State style. The No. 3 Longhorns (11-1) meet the 10th-ranked Buckeyes (10-2) on Monday in the Fiesta Bowl.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are carrying the Big Ten’s banner - what’s left of it.

Freshman Terrelle Pryor is the starting quarterback for Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. Yet he isn’t talking, at least for now.

Mack Brown and Jim Tressel struck up a conversation on the Ohio Stadium field as Texas and Ohio State warmed up before their first-ever meeting in 2005.

The Texas Longhorns came to the desert determined not to let disappointment ruin a good season.

The Fiesta Bowl isn’t a tourist draw this year.

He flashed that familiar wide smile, stroked his smallish beard and said confidently, “I’m not sure.“

Practice for the Fiesta Bowl began Tuesday as both Ohio State and Texas got down to work six days before their showdown. 

When the talk turns to the potential of Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor, people tend to reach for words to describe him.

Texas and Ohio State arrived Monday to begin Fiesta Bowl preparations, and the Buckeyes didn’t wish they were somewhere else.