Aside from obviously losing the game, one of the biggest takeaways from Mississippi State’s trip up to Lexington to face Kentucky was the inordinate amount of penalties by the Bulldogs. Many of those were foolish and uncalled for during the 28-7 loss.

In total, Mississippi State was flagged 16 (!) times for 139 yards against Kentucky. Joe Moorhead was so upset after that performance, he vowed to pull any player from the game that draws a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct immediately and make him stand next to this coach until he allows them to re-enter the game.

That tactic may seem extreme but one that may be necessary if the foolish penalties continue.

While Hail State fans hope the penalty issues are a thing of the past, defensive coordinator Bob Shoop suggested the team will likely learn more from losing the Kentucky game than had they come away with the win. That’s not the way any SEC program wants it done but a reality facing this Mississippi State team in the middle of prepping for a visit from Florida.

“I think our players came out on Sunday and we probably had our best practices of the year and unfortunately it took a loss for us to go — okay, we have to get it together here a little bit,” Shoop said during his most recent media availability. “In addition to that, it should that our players really want to be successful, they have great pride in Mississippi State. Not just that but our players have offered up things, on both sides of the ball. ‘This is how they did this, or this is how they attacked us.'”

Staying on the subject, Shoop noted that this team plays with a big chip on their shoulders and play with so much passion and emotion. It’s quite clear the team channeled that emotion to their detriment last weekend, which can often happen for a team that’s as emotional as Shoop describes.

The key is directing that emotion into something positive, which the Hail State defensive coordinator hopes will happen this weekend based on the week of practice.

“We talk about emotion, we try to talk about playing the game with passion and not emotion,” he continued. “I think we have an emotional team to a certain extent. I think it’s our greatest asset and maybe our worst asset. Sometimes we get a little too emotional.”

So the question for this week is how the team has responded to the first loss of the year? Has the emotion and lessons of that loss been used in an effective manner? Shoop believes so.

“Yesterday was as locked in and as focused of a practice as we have had all year, it really was. There wasn’t a lot of yelling and screaming, it was all business,” Shoop continued. “Today, for the most part, was the same way, had to get on them a little bit at the end. I think when you are 18- to 22-year-olds, it’s hard to stay locked in for an extended period of time… I think we rallied back, we’ll see.”