Christian Bryant's fourth-quarter interception against California helped the Buckeyes escape the Golden Bears' upset bid. "Coach (Urban Meyer) talked about it the whole second half that somebody's got to make a big play," Bryant said. "And it was me that stepped up that time."

(Photo by Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Christian Bryant never doubts his star power.

Coming off Ohio State's 35-28 win over Cal on Saturday, a victory he sealed with his first career interception and a game in which he halted a third-quarter drive with two big hits that forced incompletions, he was almost a champion. But according to coach Urban Meyer, Bryant missed earning a champion grade from the staff, and maybe being named the Buckeyes' defensive player of the game, because of one missed tackle.

"It's just something I'll learn from," Bryant said. "I really don't get down on myself too much, because you could lose confidence like that. I just try to stay positive. I'm a real top confident guy, so I don't really lose confidence."

By the end of his thought, the Ohio State junior was smiling. Star power. What a valuable commodity for a safety who can't afford to dwell on the past as he hopes to succeed in the future.

What a difficult thing to contain while walking the fine line between big play and big miss.

It's the line that has defined Bryant's Ohio State career. In the interest of full disclosure, this is the fourth time The Plain Dealer has written this type of Bryant story in his three years as a Buckeye. But the junior is a fascinating player. As the No. 16 Buckeyes prepare for Alabama-Birmingham on Saturday, it's a line that Bryant may never escape.

He discussed it with former OSU safety Mike Doss this summer, as well as with Meyer.

"I'm continuing to learn that Christian Bryant is kind of a rock-star type of player," Meyer said Monday, "and we've had that conversation. I just want him to stay within. He's been great. I've coached players before where I've had that conversation. So the greater the player, sometimes you have to do that."

The conversations with Doss began after the former Buckeye and Bryant were introduced at an OSU camp over the summer. Bryant, a Glenville grad, and Doss, a Canton McKinley grad, hit it off, bonded by their roles as Buckeye safeties in No. 2 jerseys. Bryant described it as a "big brother" type of relationship.

"He said, 'You need to do way better,'" Bryant said with a laugh. "He saw some plays I let go last year and he gave me some pointers on how to read the offensive linemen and having eye control."

The conversations occurred over several film sessions, with Doss saying Bryant was open to everything he offered, clearing intent on improving his game.

"Just knowing that he's another Northeast Ohio product, I wanted to take some time and talk with him and give him a chance to elevate his game," Doss said. "He felt there were a lot of plays on the field were he could have helped the defense a lot better."

Just a decade removed from his career as a three-time OSU All-American, and only a few years out of the NFL, the 31-year-old Doss said he related to Bryant in a different way than a coach would. He joked about his interest in making sure that No. 2 was in good hands.

"I think he can be a good player. He has the talent and he can a make a lot of plays, and to be confident, that's the biggest thing," Doss said. "The sky is the limit for him. He wants to get better."

After playing well in the season-opening win against Miami, Bryant said new safeties coach Everett Withers told him his tackling form looked a lot better than a year ago. Bryant said he played "average" as a sophomore. But he felt his work with Doss did a lot to take his game to a new level.

"I felt like I was kind of a loose cannon on the field last year," Bryant said, "playing too fast. This year I feel like I've calmed down a little bit."

He played like a rock star much of Saturday. During the game broadcast, ABC analyst Chris Spielman made a point to say what excellent form Bryant used on a tackle early in the fourth quarter.

Then later in the fourth quarter came that one play. Serving as the last line of defense, Bryant dove at and missed Cal running back Brendan Bigelow on a run to the left, allowing a potential 10-yard gain to turn into a 59-yard game-tying touchdown. It was the kind of play Doss wouldn't have liked much on film.

Spielman was forced to point out Bryant's lack of form, saying, "when you duck your head and you don't wrap up, you miss."

It was just one missed tackle in a game filled them by the Buckeyes. But it was also the one play that kept Bryant away from being a champion.

"People make mistakes all the time on the field," Bryant said, "and the next play is the most important play. You can't just keep on getting down on yourself about one play."

So 12 plays later, after he and corner Bradly Roby and linebacker Ryan Shazier sniffed out the pass Cal was hoping to throw, Bryant grabbed his first interception.

"Coach talked about it the whole second half that somebody's got to make a big play," Bryant said. "And it was me that stepped up that time."

That he did. Bryant finished with five tackles, the interception and two pass breakups. He said he thought he played "decent."

Take away one play, and he may have felt like a star.