5 takeaways from LSU football's loss at Texas A&M

Sometimes things fall apart.

That's what happened to LSU in College Station on Saturday night. Mistakes plagued LSU as the Tigers watched the game unravel in the third quarter. Texas A&M capitalized on the momentum and won 38-23.

Sole possession of first place in the SEC was at stake. A&M now sits atop the conference while LSU falls to 3-1 in conference play and 6-2 on the year. The loss ended a six-game winning streak for LSU and left the Tigers' playoff hopes on life support.

The night was full of frustrations for LSU. The Tigers moved the ball, but too many offenses stalled on A&M's side. LSU had to settle for field goal attempts, but the night was marred by special teams errors.

Every component of the field goal unit struggled. Ramos missed kicks, the handles were poor and LSU long snapper Slade Roy fired one too early.

LSU left something on the table. There is no other way to put it. Here are five takeaways from the loss.

Nussmeier leads the unraveling with three picks

The first half was Garrett Nussmeier's best football. The second half was the exact opposite.

Nussmeier's accuracy began to weaken and the situation was made worse by poor decisions with the football.

LSU scored a three-pointer on the opening drive of the second half and tied the game. On the second drive, Nussmeier tried to make a play and threw the ball up. It was shot in LSU territory and A&M took the lead shortly after.

Later, another Nussmeier pick got A&M to take the lead. Then, in the fourth, an Aggie interception all but sealed the game.

Nussmeier has nine picks this year. This puts his average at one per game. LSU will have trouble winning games if they put the ball in danger like that.

LSU failed to put away the Aggies when it had the chance

Things looked rosy in the first half. A long catch and run by Aaron Anderson gave LSU a 17-7 lead.

LSU moved the ball and the LSU defense didn't give up much. The Tigers seemed like the better team, like a team that took another step forward after last week's 34-10 win. But that wasn't the case.

Stalled drives and missed field goals in the first half kept A&M in the game and allowed the Aggies to find life in the second half.

It was referenced on the broadcast, but it was reminiscent of LSU's loss in week one. LSU was able to make a deadly shot but missed.

LSU couldn't run the ball

After a few weeks of progress, LSU couldn't run the ball on Saturday night. Caden Durham and Josh Williams both had chances, but neither could gain momentum.

A&M's front line presented LSU with a challenge. The Aggies have several future pros on the defensive line and LSU couldn't get any offense. The fact that senior guard Garrett Dellinger left the game due to injury didn't help.

We can debate whether the blame lies with the coaching, the personnel or the execution. The fact is we have eight games in this season and LSU is in no position to run the ball.

It's hard to go out there and win in the SEC when you can't run it. LSU doesn't need the same production as last year, but it needs more than it's getting now.

A&M turns to Reed in the second half

LSU put Connor Weigman under pressure in the first half. A&M gained some yards in the running game, but the passing attack wasn't a factor.

A&M Answer: QB Marcel Reed.

Aggies' OC Colin Klein went all-in with the option attack and Reed's rushing ability. Holes began to open and A&M did what it wanted on the ground.

Blake Baker and the LSU defense had nothing. Even if there was an answer, LSU failed to execute. The Tigers lacked tackles and were run off the ball.

LSU was unprepared for the physicality of Texas A&M in the second half.

Where does LSU go from here?

At 6-2, LSU is still in the playoff race, although it needs help. A 10-2 SEC team has a chance to find its way, but the margin for error isn't there.

LSU has to win. That includes the win over Alabama, the trip to Florida and potentially tricky games against Vanderbilt and Oklahoma.

When it comes to the SEC race, going through all the possible tiebreaker solutions is pointless right now. This will be sorted out in the next few weeks.

This loss is a disappointment, especially given the optimism that has surrounded LSU in recent weeks. LSU is not currently a title contender.

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This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: 5 takeaways from LSU football's loss at Texas A&M