Former Oklahoma center Ty Darlington added a small Sooner flavor to the sideline at the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship Monday night.

He and Oklahoma's 2015 season ended in Miami, Florida, on New Year's Eve. But Darlington still had one more game to attend as an OU representative.

Buried in the hoopla of Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson's performance, a risky onside kick and national title No. 16 for the Crimson Tide, Darlington was honored during the game as the recipient of this season's William V. Campbell Trophy for his achievements on the gridiron, in the community and in the classroom.

And while Darlington was honored to receive the award and attend college football's biggest night in Glendale, the experience was less than pleasurable as his Sooners were a game short of getting its own crack at eventual champion Alabama.

"It was pretty miserable being on the field, and watching and being right there next to the players and realizing how close we were," Darlington said in a phone interview.

Darlington said the experience was fun, but he had to stomach watching Alabama and Clemson from the sideline for the first quarter before watching the rest of the back-and-forth battle in a suite.

Before the game even began, however, Darlington was met in the same corner of the field by the Clemson defensive line as the Tigers went through their pregame warm-ups. A few head nods were exchanged between Darlington and the Clemson players who beat Oklahoma, 37-17, in the Orange Bowl semifinal.

The experience was humbling, but it was an odd mix of emotions for Darlington, who found himself fresh off of a disappointing loss in a collared shirt and jeans rather than an OU uniform with one more game to play.

"I don't think (the loss) is ever going to stop stinging completely, especially because we were so close," Darlington said. "Sometimes you put your best foot forward and you lose, but we didn't play our best football. And that's the only regret I had. That's something you have to live with, and that's life, but you have to move on."

Darlington still gives all the credit to Clemson. And despite not winning a national title with OU, his journey from playing as a true freshman to becoming one of the team's most vocal leaders has been quite the run.

He considered Stanford, Auburn and a few other FBS offers as a highly recruited center from Apopka, Florida. But Darlington has cherished the opportunities OU has presented to him as he looks ahead to an NFL career or wherever life may take him.

"OU always had my heart, " Darlington said. "I wanted to come to OU, not just to play ball, but it's been a lifelong dream. To look back on when I was six-years-old the first time I was on Owen Field to the last time I was on it, that's stuff you can't write any better. It's been a blessing."