WATCH: Tashawn Manning hilariously flops, draws 15-yard penalty
Mississippi State had a frustrating night against Kentucky, heading back to Starkville with a loss. Mike Leach’s side was not able to defend well in the second half, while the offense only got two touchdowns on the board. While tensions did slightly boil over in Lexington, a hilarious moment was produced.
Kentucky offensive lineman Tashawn Manning was getting into it with a Mississippi State player, pushing and shoving. Eventually, Manning got an open fist punch around the face mask. Instead of being the 6-4, 330-pound senior he is and taking it, Manning decided to flop.
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About a second after resetting his head and processing what happened, Manning threw both hands into the air to get the official’s attention. He also fell to the ground. Worst — or best, I guess — of all? It drew a 15-yard penalty from the referees.
You can watch the full moment here.
The play wound up helping Kentucky put the game on ice and end a two-game winning streak. Hopefully, once off the field and in the locker room, Manning will be able to have a good laugh about the entire situation.
Mark Stoops provides update on Will Levis injury, praises defense
Following the game, SEC Network’s Cole Cubelic spoke with Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops. He discussed some of the keys to victory and helped to add some more clarity to the Will Levis left shoulder injury.
Cubelic noted that Stoops and the Wildcats just went back to their defense tackling well in the open field and that they were able to find success in the ground game–two of the successful cornerstones of the Wildcats’ program that he’s built over the years.
“Yeah, without a doubt. We had to go back and do what we do. You know, the o-line really stepped it up. Chris [Rodriguez] ran really hard. We counted on Will [Levis] in some really difficult moments. He made some big-time throws. And it was a great team effort. Defense played really solid all day,” Stoops said.