As the gold confetti fell from University of Phoenix Stadium deep into the Arizona night on Monday, Deshaun Watson ran off the field not in the jubilant celebration that he had imagined as a little kid, but in defeat after an opportunity lost. It marked only the second time Watson has lost as Clemson's starter.
By any metric, Watson’s 2015 was one for the ages as he led his team to an undefeated regular season, an ACC title and a playoff berth. Individually, Watson made it to New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation and became the first college football player ever pass to pass for 4,000 yards and run for 1,000 yards.