Derek Mason not taking the Les Miles approach in Vandy debut

A noticeably anxious Derek Mason had some fun during Tuesday’s press conference previewing Vanderbilt’s Thursday night opener against Temple.

The former Stanford defensive coordinator is excited to watch his team perform, but not crazy enough to go ground level to break the tension.

Mason: I'll soak it in. I won't be Les Miles and grab a blade of grass and chew it. But I'll take a moment to soak it in.

— VandyFootball (@VandyFootball) August 26, 2014

Mason was of course referring to Miles’ infamous grass-eating incident against Alabama in 2010. The Mad Hatter recently drank a grass smoothie during a promotional shoot.