COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The feeling wasn't exactly new for Chris Worley.
The Ohio State linebacker had watched his childhood friend score plenty of times over all the years they'd spent on the same team growing up, a productive partnership that started when his sidekick tried out for his little-league team as an 8-year-old tailback. So watching Marshon Lattimore return an interception for a touchdown back in September wasn't exactly a fresh experience.
But it was certainly meaningful for both of them, and it was different as well. More often than not back in the elementary school days, Lattimore was following the road-clearing blocks of Worley, the two taking turns racking up touchdowns, turning heads with their natural athleticism and planting the seeds of a lofty dream.
Their rise through the ranks happened together, an inseparable bond forming as it became increasingly more realistic to picture the two Glenville High School boys continuing the pipeline from that program down the interstate to suit up for the Buckeyes. Although, they would both have to make a switch to the defensive side of the ball, which made those trips to the end zone tougher to come by at the next level.
"They would just hand us the ball and get out of the way," Lattimore said, laughing as he glanced over at Worley in the locker room at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. "We both got the ball a lot.
"How many touchdowns you have that year, Chris? 15 or something like that? Some crazy number. He was always bigger than everybody, and he'd be in the open field and see somebody behind him, then he'd go back and try to run them over."
Lattimore doesn't have the size of his buddy, but the cornerback has more than made up for it with his speed. And when he unleashed it after snagging a Tulsa pass in Week 2, both the emotions and memories came flooding back for Worley.
"When he scored, it was like I scored," Worley said. "We had visions of playing well on Saturdays like we have been doing, and we've always talked about it. We view life through the same lens. And that's what it's all about.
"When you can live out your dream with your best friend? Not many people can say they did that. It's truly amazing."
It also hasn't always been easy, which has only served to strengthen the brotherly bond of two lifetime teammates.
Only one way to slow down Lattimore
Whether it was coaches or teammates, Ohio State never made it a secret just how much potential it saw in Lattimore. But there was always a caveat.
Two years of struggles with hamstring injuries kept the redshirt sophomore from ever actually putting his game-changing ability in the secondary on display for anybody outside of the program to see. And even into training camp in August, cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs was still holding his breath every time Lattimore, a solid 6-feet and 192 pounds, turned to sprint and shifted into his top gear.
"It was tough," Lattimore said. "I came in [as a true freshman] and like the third day of camp, I tore my hamstring. Then last year I kept messing my hamstrings up.
"I went through a lot, just with injuries and sitting there being patient."
Worley was there to encourage him through it, living just five minutes away if he needed a boost or somebody to hang out with during the rough moments.
And eventually, thanks in part to a dedicated stretching routine, time spent contrasting between the hot and cold tubs and even some summer yoga, Lattimore's hamstrings stopped being a cause for concern. Suddenly, it was his just his jaw-dropping work on the field that was taking away the breath from Coombs.
By the end of his first full, healthy season with the Buckeyes, Lattimore had made 38 tackles, had nine pass breakups and four interceptions -- and had built a case as a potential first-round draft pick if he chooses to leave school early.
"He worked very hard ... and he's very, very special," Coombs said. "He is big, he's fast, he's physical, he's strong, he understands the game and he's hungry.
"Don't discount the fact he sat around being frustrated for a couple of years. Guys like that are dangerous when they get an opportunity to play."
He wasn't the only Glenville guy about to put that theory to the test.
Worley worth the wait
The job could have been his.
Even after watching Darron Lee jump ahead of him and take the first-team reps on the first day of spring practice in 2014, the Buckeyes hadn't completely committed to that pecking order when the season started. There was also plenty to like about Worley as the two competed for the same spot at outside linebacker, and Ohio State was comfortable enough with either option that it didn't feel the need to rush a decision.
"We battled together, we weren't battling against each other," Worley said. "When they told me [Lee] was going to start, I was happy for him. I never hung my head low or anything like that.
"I knew I could play, and as you can see, he was a first-round draft pick and we didn't know who was going to be the starter until after the first game. That says a lot about him, but it also says a lot about me as a player."
The chance to actually let his game speak for itself would have to wait, though. Lee never looked back after getting the nod, blossoming into a defensive superstar before skipping off early to the NFL after last season.
The job that had once almost been Worley's was again open. And like it was for Lattimore, patience paid off again for the Buckeyes. After leaving the shadow left by Lee behind, Worley, 6-2 and 228 pounds, racked up 60 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, forced a fumble and grabbed an interception -- and another that didn't count on the stats sheet on a 2-point conversion that clinched a narrow win over Michigan State.
"Guys that have grinded, fought to work to get where they are is really what makes your program," defensive coordinator Luke Fickell said. "You can put great talent out there. But the guys that have been through the battles and scars and things haven't been handed to them, it hasn't happened to them as easy or quick as others [are invaluable].
"Those are the guys that are really talked about and are the image of the culture, and I think Chris Worley is a great example of that."
And, of course, he didn't do it alone.
Worley, Lattimore take a familiar path to Columbus
Ted Ginn Sr. has long proved he has an eye for talent even at a young age. The Glenville coach also has a lengthy track record of developing it, sometimes in unconventional ways.
For Lattimore, that meant getting an unusual jersey number slapped on him and getting all the work he could possibly handle in the offensive backfield.
"I used to go get him with junior varsity and make his uncle put No. 91 on him, just grind him to death at the tailback spot," Ginn said. "I used to watch him just to see if he could take it."
The Tarblooders found out quickly that Lattimore's buddy wouldn't back down from a challenge either, and Worley was a quick study both on and off the field as he flourished in the transition from young fullback to hard-hitting linebacker with an offer from the state's flagship program.
Naturally, Lattimore had earned one, too. And eventually, the same skills that helped the duo destroy the Cleveland Muny league on offense would help Ohio State become one of the nation's most feared defenses -- after a few bumps in the road.
"Sometimes God puts you in situations to wake you up and keep you humble," Ginn said. "These guys are both so gifted, but those injuries were just enough to keep them where they're at today. When you have situations like that, it's tough, but sometimes you have to go through those tough situations to get greater.
"But there was always no question: They had this in them. You could always tell it was there."
Back in Glenville, the locals have known it for years: Watching Worley and Lattimore check off their goals together is nothing new.