The Feed Pail: Rivalry eve

Welcome back to the feed pail, where we take a look around the internet for some choice South Carolina Gamecocks tidbits and share it back here with you. Since it’s Clemson week, I’ll be including some pieces from the Tigers’ viewpoint as well. This edition of the Feed Pail is appropriately stuffed for anything you might have missed during the Thanksgiving holiday.

A year after worst moment, can Jamarcus King turn it around? - Josh Kendall, The State

We all remember that unfortunately iconic moment when star Clemson receiver Mike Williams gave South Carolina’s Jamarcus King a piggyback ride into the end zone. King’s had a bit of an up and down season, but appears to be playing some of his best football at the right time.

King, who is fourth in the SEC with 1.09 passes defended per game, believes he has put last year’s game behind him, but adds “then again I feel like I’ve got to make a play, but I am not going to try to do too much. I’m going to let the play come to me.”

Will Muschamp on key to Clemson game: ‘You can’t get one-dimensional’ - Adam Spencer, Saturday Down South

Coach Will Muschamp knows the Gamecocks’ offense has their work cut out for them against an elite Clemson defense. Establishing the run looks like it will be a priority for South Carolina on Saturday.

“You have stay balanced. You have to be hardheaded in the run game a little bit. When you play a front like this you’re not going to always hit a 20-yard run every time you run it. You have to stay patient and you can’t get one dimensional.”

South Carolina has perfect player to mimic Clemson QB Kelly Bryant - Josh Kendall, The State

Backup quarterback Jay Ulrich has been doing his best impression of Kelly Bryant on the Gamecocks’ scout team, as the two of them were quarterbacks at Wren High School and know each other pretty well.

“I know Jay knows him pretty well and he talks to him every few weeks,” Gamecocks quarterback Jake Bentley said. “Jay says he’s a great guy, and obviously he’s a great football player, too.”

USC fans five-bombing an unsuspecting Dabo? Disrespectful or funny? You be the judge - Matt Connolly, The State

Yes, we’re still talking about disrespect. This time, it’s the Clemson side airing some grievances with South Carolina fan behavior during the Gamecocks’ five-game winning streak. Coach Dabo Swinney didn’t seem too offended, and defensive end Clelin Ferrell laughed it off, but not all Tigers rolled with the punches.

Tigers linebacker Kendall Joseph in particular said he was bothered by the pictures.

“It wasn’t too funny, to be honest. It was disrespectful,” Joseph said. “You’ve got a head coach that’s taking time out of his day to take pictures with fans and disrespecting him like that -- I highly doubt Clemson fans would do the same thing to the coach over there. So I didn’t think it was too funny.”

Gamecocks looking for that 2013 edge against Clemson - David Cloninger, Post and Courier

Speaking of five-bombs, South Carolina wants to get its groove back and play with the type of confidence it had during that streak. Veteran linebacker Skai Moore shared his thoughts on the mindset those teams brought to the table, and has been preaching it to his younger teammates.

“Those dudes, they just came in here and really didn’t care. ‘They’re going to come in here, we’re going to hit them in the mouth,’ (they thought),” Moore said. “‘They’re coming into our house, we got to make a statement and do what we do.’ That’s the type of edge we’ve got to bring this week.”

Dabo Swinney talks relationship with Will Muschamp - Grace Raynor, Post and Courier

While it’s only Muschamp’s second year in the rivalry, he and Swinney aren’t strangers, and the Clemson coach had plenty of praise for his opponent.

"It's fine, I've known Will a long time. We go way back. When he was an assistant at Auburn, I was an assistant at Alabama. I'd see him on the recruiting trail. I've known him a long time. ... I've always thought he was a heck of a coach. I've always had great respect for him.”

Key flip target picks South Carolina game over Iron Bowl for visit - Ben Breiner, The State

Four-star cornerback Jaycee Horn, a Tennessee commitment who is looking around in light of the Vols’ struggles and Butch Jones’ dismissal, is coming to Columbia for the Palmetto Bowl. When he originally pledged to Tennessee, he did so over the Gamecocks and Crimson Tide. Time will tell if Will “Flipper” Muschamp can work some magic.

Why South Carolina sports fans should be thankful in 2018 - Hale McGranahan, SEC Country

This includes football, but also takes a big picture view of what the Gamecocks have accomplished as an athletics department in recent months. It’s always nice to take a step back and smell the roses.