‘Cranberry sauce ain’t no dessert’: Here’s what USC will be eating this Thanksgiving

Sure, South Carolina is playing No. 4 Clemson this Saturday, and that’s a big deal, but it’s also Thanksgiving week, and for the very large individuals who make up the Gamecocks defense, that means food — a lot of food.

Speaking to the media Tuesday, defensive linemen Taylor Stallworth and Daniel Fennell revealed what part of the Thanksgiving meal is their favorite and acknowledged the challenges the team’s director of nutrition, Kristin Coggin, faces just a few days before the biggest game of the season.

“I shouldn’t say anything,” Stallworth joked. “She might watch this.”

“She knows how that’s going to go,” Fennell said. “That’s your parents home-cooked food, and we don’t get that — I haven’t got that all year. So she knows how that’s going to go.”

That being said, Fennell’s tastes actually don’t include the pies and sugary desserts that might give Coggin the most anxiety.

“I don’t like sweets. Cranberry sauce ain’t no dessert, but that’ll be the sweetest thing I eat,” he said. “I like everything on my Thanksgiving food, but for my leftovers, I like chitlins, macaroni and cheese and cranberry sauce. That’s just really what I love.”

Stallworth’s palate is a lot more varied.

“Yams, collard greens, sweet cornbread, pecan pie, sweet potato bread, yams,” he said, listing off his favorite Thanksgiving foods. “I like turkey. I want to try fried turkey, honestly. I’ve never had it in my life, so if anyone out there is willing to let me try some fried turkey, just hit me up.”

Fennell, who is from Loganville, Georgia, is much closer to home than Stallworth, who is from Mobile, Alabama, so he’ll actually have the opportunity to get his absolute favorite dish: his dad’s mac and cheese.

“My dad has this homemade mac and cheese, he takes Kraft noodles, but then everything else is his own.It’s the best macaroni and cheese I’ve ever had, I’ve never had anything that’s better. It’s really exciting,” Fennell said. “I’m going to try to take at least half a pan and take it home with me.”

Stallworth is staying close to Columbia for the holiday, he said. But he’s eager to see if the local version of his favorite side dish can compare to his family’s.

“My grandma has the best yams. Like so good, but I’m a long way from home, so if y’all think you got some good yams, I’ll test y’all’s yams,” he said.

This story was originally published November 21, 2017 at 6:11 PM with the headline "‘Cranberry sauce ain’t no dessert’: Here’s what USC will be eating this Thanksgiving."