The Feed Pail: Gamecock greats Super Bowl bound; A’ja Wilson returns

Welcome back to the feed pail, where we take a look around the internet for some choice South Carolina Gamecocks tidbits and share them back here with you.

Bill Belichick praises Stephon Gilmore for ‘outstanding play’ to seal win — Adam Kurkjian, Boston Herald

Former South Carolina star Stephon Gilmore came up big for the New England Patriots in their AFC Championship victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, making one of the most incredible plays on a ball that you’ll ever see from a defensive back. The Jags, faced with a 24-20 deficit in the final minutes of the game and a fourth and long, looked like they might actually pull off a comeback with a wide open Dede Westbrook streaking toward the end zone. But Gilmore appeared seemingly out of nowhere to slap the ball out of the sky and break hearts in Jacksonville:

Patriots coach Bill Belichick was understandably complimentary of the play, which helped lift the Pats and Gilmore to a Super Bowl berth:

“I thought he made an outstanding play,” Belichick added. “He was in really good position and then he’s long, he’s got good length and was able to pretty easily reach out — not easily ... He had enough length to run and stretch and make the play on the ball. Just an outstanding play I thought. I thought Stephon played well for us (Sunday).”

Alshon Jeffery can fulfill his Super Bowl promise – in Philadelphia — Larry Hawley, WGN-TV

Gilmore wasn’t the only former Gamecock making waves on Sunday, as Philadelphia receiver Alshon Jeffery hauled in five catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns to help the Eagles roll the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship.

His performance this season has also made him look a bit like a fortune teller, although his Super Bowl guarantee came while he was still with the Chicago Bears. As Jeffery later pointed out, though, he didn’t actually specify which team would win. Count it!

A’ja Wilson roars back from injury to lead South Carolina past Kentucky — Greg Hadley, The State

A’ja Wilson is finally back with the Gamecocks after missing two games with an ankle injury, and she picked up right where she left off: Wilson scored 26 points, pulled down eight rebounds, and notched four blocks and three steals in just 21 minutes as South Carolina beat Kentucky 81-64. It just can’t be understated how Very Good At Basketball she is.

Former Cat Jennings helps Gamecocks stick another loss on feisty UK in Rupp — Jennifer Smith, Lexington Herald-Leader

From the Wildcats’ perspective, that loss carried a bit of an extra punch as former Kentucky forward Alexis Jennings, now with the Gamecocks, scored 17 points and collected seven rebounds in her first time playing against UK.