UCLA’s rally ruined by an old friend in overtime loss to Texas A&M, 31-24

The question that had faced UCLA all week confronted it again Saturday with the Bruins seeking one final stop in their season opener: What would Noel do?

Noel Mazzone, the former Bruins offensive coordinator who had departed earlier this year for Texas A&M, needed his new team to go one yard on fourth down to beat his old one.

UCLA’s defenders played the probabilities in their heads … after quarterback Trevor Knight ran untouched to his left for the touchdown that gave the Aggies a 31-24 overtime victory at Kyle Field, wiping out the feel-good vibes generated by the 16th-ranked Bruins’ frantic fourth-quarter comeback.

“Now that I look back, I mean we should have known he was going to pull,” UCLA defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes said of Mazzone’s plan. “He went with his running quarterback. I mean, if you think about it a couple of years ago he would have done that with Brett [Hundley].”

The Bruins were also filled regret about their new offense.

UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen engineered a comeback from a 24-9 deficit in the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter to force overtime before the Bruins stumbled for the third time in a first-and-goal situation.

A facemask penalty against the Aggies had given UCLA a first down at the seven, needing a touchdown to tie the score. Two running plays netted two yards. A pass from Rosen to tight end Austin Roberts fell incomplete.

On fourth down, Rosen threw toward Roberts again but the Aggies put the pressure on Rosen, whose pass was knocked down by Texas A&M safety Justin Evans. The Bruins trudged off the field feeling more disappointed in the result than emboldened by their comeback.

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Their undoing was largely tied to finding the end zone on only one of four first-and-goal opportunities. Two resulted in field goals and the final one in defeat.

“You can’t miss those,” Rosen said. “You lose football games because of it and we did.”

Plenty of descriptors applied to UCLA’s nameless offense through the first 3 1/2 quarters.

Clunky. Inefficient. Sputtering.

It was as if the Bruins were all operating out of different playbooks, with Mora acknowledging a rash of technique and fundamental errors. UCLA’s offense managed two first downs in the third quarter, one coming on an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty against Texas A&M after the Aggies had held the Bruins to a short gain on third and long.

“It’s just the little things,” UCLA offensive coordinator Kennedy Polmalu said after an uneven debut calling plays. “One more step on this, one more step on pulling when you’re supposed to pull, one more step on the route.”

Rosen completed 26 of 46 passes for 343 yards and one touchdown but had three passes intercepted and was sacked five times. He called his performance in the first half “pretty abysmal” and it didn’t get any better for a while.

Rosen overthrew Kenneth Walker III on a long pass in the third quarter and had another potential touchdown pass dropped by Jordan Lasley in the fourth. Another Rosen pass ricocheted off the hands of Alex Van Dyke and was intercepted by Evans. Aggies fans from the crowd of 100,443 taunted Rosen with chants of “Fifty thousand!” afterward, alluding to the quarterback saying that the decibel level wasn’t appreciably different above that number of fans.

Rosen finally quieted the crowd on his next drive. He completed a 23-yard pass to Roberts on fourth and one before Bolu Olorunfunmi ran nine yards for a touchdown that pulled the Bruins to within 24-16.

UCLA’s defense held Texas A&M without a first down on its next possession, leading to more Rosen magic. He rolled out and threw a deep pass to Walker, who snagged the ball between two defenders and ran into the end zone for a 62-yard touchdown.

Rosen then connected with Roberts over the middle on the two-point conversion to tie the score, prompting Mora to tenderly place his hands on the back of Rosen’s helmet and say something into his ear.

After the Bruins held Texas A&M again, there was a less touching sight on the Bruins’ final possession of the fourth quarter when Rosen threw a pass that Evans leaped to intercept. Rosen clutched his helmet in disbelief after matching his career high for interceptions in a game.

Mora appeared upbeat afterward despite his first loss in a season opener in his five years with the Bruins. He said was encouraged by what he called a developing determination and belief in his players.

“I can’t overemphasize what today showed me about these guys even in defeat,” Mora said. “I saw something here at UCLA that I certainly haven’t seen in my time here and I’m excited about that.”

ben.bolch@latimes.com

Follow Ben Bolch on Twitter @latbbolch