GLENDALE, Ariz. — Get ready, Heisman. Deshaun Watson’s coming for you.

Clemson’s sublime sophomore marked himself a clear front runner for college football’s top individual prize with a stellar performance on the biggest stage of his career. The only drawback? Watson and the Tigers couldn’t pull out a victory, falling to Alabama 45-40 in the national championship game Monday night.

If anyone though Watson would be rattled by Alabama’s huge, fast defensive line, they were quickly proven wrong. Watson threw for four touchdowns and accounted for 478 yards of offense, the Tigers topping the Crimson Tide almost everywhere but on the scoreboard.

“At the end of the day I wanted the W,” he said. “All the stats don’t really matter to me. I just wanted to get the win and do something we hadn’t done in 34 years.”

It might not be that long before Clemson contends again, especially with Watson back next season.

Watson, who finished third behind Alabama’s Derrick Henry and Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey in the Heisman Trophy voting, had carried the Tigers (14-1) all season. He broke the Atlantic Coast Conference mark for total yardage held for 13 years by NC State quarterback Philip Rivers.