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One of the best ways to start a football campaign is with a teachable moment. On September 3, 2017 such a moment became available for head coaches everywhere as the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena played host to a UCLA home game against Texas A&M.
The Aggies were led by head coach Kevin Sumlin whose seat was getting warm enough to blame climate change. Coming off an 8-5 2016 season, Coach Sumlin eyed the SEC Championship which meant getting through the always competitive SEC West. That also meant there was no room for messing around when it came to non-conference opponents.
The Bruins meanwhile had their own issues with Jim L. Mora, their head coach who was dealing with a hot seat of his own. 2016 saw California-LA tank to a 4-8 record. Mora couldn't worry about making the Playoffs, he was just trying to win games. That brings us to the start of the 2017 season.
TAMU was in no mood to mess around for the 1st Half, jumping out to a 38-10 lead. During the 3rd Quarter, the lead was increased to 44-10. After that, the Aggies I guess were in a mood to mess around some.
UCLA would spend the rest of the game going on a tear through their opponents, scoring 34 unanswered to take home the 45-44 victory. The game would serve as a microcosm for both teams with UCLA needing a miracle to win and Texas A&M squandering opportunities to shine.
By the time December rolled around, both teams had managed to qualify for bowl games, but both Mora and Sumlin would be gone. Both teams would also lose those bowl games. Thus the legacy of the 2017 season for UCLA and Texas A&M is that you don't give up if you're losing and you don't get complacent if you're ahead with enough time remaining.
RSHighlights has the highlights.
The Aggies were led by head coach Kevin Sumlin whose seat was getting warm enough to blame climate change. Coming off an 8-5 2016 season, Coach Sumlin eyed the SEC Championship which meant getting through the always competitive SEC West. That also meant there was no room for messing around when it came to non-conference opponents.
The Bruins meanwhile had their own issues with Jim L. Mora, their head coach who was dealing with a hot seat of his own. 2016 saw California-LA tank to a 4-8 record. Mora couldn't worry about making the Playoffs, he was just trying to win games. That brings us to the start of the 2017 season.
TAMU was in no mood to mess around for the 1st Half, jumping out to a 38-10 lead. During the 3rd Quarter, the lead was increased to 44-10. After that, the Aggies I guess were in a mood to mess around some.
UCLA would spend the rest of the game going on a tear through their opponents, scoring 34 unanswered to take home the 45-44 victory. The game would serve as a microcosm for both teams with UCLA needing a miracle to win and Texas A&M squandering opportunities to shine.
By the time December rolled around, both teams had managed to qualify for bowl games, but both Mora and Sumlin would be gone. Both teams would also lose those bowl games. Thus the legacy of the 2017 season for UCLA and Texas A&M is that you don't give up if you're losing and you don't get complacent if you're ahead with enough time remaining.
RSHighlights has the highlights.