There are a couple of unwritten rules, or at least, common-sense guidelines, that govern things like fan etiquette in the SEC in the wake of a stunning upset. And as two fans at Ole Miss' Vaught-Hemingway Stadium found out Saturday -- one from Ole Miss, the other from Alabama -- these rules aren't enforced with politeness and niceties.
First, when rushing the field after the home team shocks the college football universe, it's not advisable to jump in Nick Saban's face and tell him about it, as this Rebels reveler learned the hard way from one of four state troopers escorting Saban to the locker room. This happened in the wake of Ole Miss' 23-17 upset of Alabama Saturday:
According to al.com, the Crimson Tide camp believes the fan had no intentions of harming Saban. Still, it's clear enough that police escorts don't take well to their path off the field being obstructed by someone looking to bait a head coach.
Ole Miss, by the way, was fined $50,000 by the SEC for its inability to keep fans from rushing the field.
Then there was the other side of the fan spectrum, where a despondent Alabama fan learned that tossing beverages over a stadium deck railing, presumably onto ecstatic Rebels fans below, can also draw the ire of authorities. In this case, stadium security went with a clothesline tackle to bring an abrupt end to any further mayhem:
Excessive use of force? In a 16-second video clip that provides no other context, that could be argued. But when you're the visiting fan in a hostile environment, and do something worthy of ejection, local authorities tend to act decisively.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
