It's seldom easy to ask SEC rivals to play nice on gameday.
Exhibit A would involve Vanderbilt and Florida:
On Saturday, things got hairy in the first quarter, when the Commodores held the red-hot Gators (No. 14 in the nation) to zero points, sparking murmurs of a big-time upset.
But things got considerably strained once Florida got called for a targeting play, prompting an impromptu across-the-sidelines visit from Vandy head coach Derek Mason; and from there, a brouhaha ensued between the coaching staffs.
How strained? Well, during the 1 p.m. EST hour, the South's four highest-ranking trending topics on Twitter were #Florida, #Vandy, #DanMullen and #DerekMason.
Here's the clip of how things devolved along the Gators sideline.
Now, as far as we can tell, there isn't much residual bitterness between Mason and Florida head coach Dan Mullen, primarily because the two have rarely squared off on the same field.
(In 2014, Mullen's Mississippi State squad routed Vandy, 51-0.)
However, there is one common thread to a potential beef with Vanderbilt, in the form of former UGA defensive coordinator and current Florida DC Tood Grantham, as noted by this Tweet from 11Alive's Sports Wes Blankenship.
It's worth noting: Mason wisely played traffic cop when his players rushed to his defense along the Florida sideline, avoiding needless fights and countless in-game ejections.
UPDATE: Florida rallied for three touchdowns in the second half and left Nashville with a hard-fought 37-27 win.
