Texas A&M Football: 5 reasons why Aggies are doomed in 2017

PASADENA, CA - SEPTEMBER 03: Josh Rogers #13 of the Texas A&M Aggies is unable to catch this pass as Darnay Holmes #1 of the UCLA Bruins defends during the first half of a game at the Rose Bowl on September 3, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

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PASADENA, CA – SEPTEMBER 03: Josh Rogers #13 of the Texas A&M Aggies is unable to catch this pass as Darnay Holmes #1 of the UCLA Bruins defends during the first half of a game at the Rose Bowl on September 3, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

4. Back-breaking loss to UCLA killed confidence

Going up 38-10 at halftime against UCLA raised questions in the Bruins’ fan base. Was Josh Rosen broken? Was Jim Mora on his way out of town? Would the Bruins be able to make a bowl after a 4-8 season in 2016? Then the script flipped.

Texas A&M melted down in the second half after taking a 44-10 lead. In fact, the Aggies allowed 35 consecutive second-half points, allowing the Bruins to score the go-ahead touchdown on a fake spike with about a minute left in the fourth.

The loss seemed to hurt more than a blowout would have. Heck, if the Aggies were to lose by 2-3 touchdowns, players and coaches probably wouldn’t continue to lose sleep at night. The reoccurring thought among the fan base is obvious: what went wrong?

Everyone seemed to crumble when the lights got brighter, including Kevin Sumlin. The team lacked confidence the second the Bruins started to reach the end zone. This is the type of loss that could deflate a season, and it will.