To borrow a line from the great Chris Farley, coaching brothers don’t shake hands. Coaching brothers gotta hug.
With the SEC’s commissioner in attendance, it was quite the wild scene that played out late in the first half of the Florida-Vanderbilt game in Nashville Saturday afternoon. On a Commodores punt, Gators’ James Houston IV threw a brutal crack-back block that was ultimately ruled targeting and led to the player’s ejection.
Vandy head coach Derek Mason came out to check on his player, who was still on the ground, who was on the receiving end of the targeting and appeared to direct some words at the Florida bench. At that point, UF defensive coordinator Todd Grantham started jawing back as did head coach Dan Mullen, who had to be physically restrained by an official and football staffers as, wisely or not, he appeared headed for an up close and personal confrontation with Mason.
Despite the vitriol between the two during the game, afterward, instead of the standard postgame handshake, the two head coaches engaged in an extended embrace that seemed to settle any lingering issues between them.
Dan Mullen and Derek Mason exchange words… nicely. They even smile. pic.twitter.com/PS92KujyCm
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) October 13, 2018
As for the game, the 14th-ranked Gators overcame a 21-3 first-half deficit to pull away from the Commodores for a 37-27 win.