Fight On, Forever!

Ellis turns out to be just like Mike - Lindy's Sports
There was a feeling around USC that nobody would ever replace All-American nose tackle Mike Patterson, who now plays for the Philadelphia Eagles. Patterson's quickness was his forte, confounding opposing centers and guards.

But if you ask USC coach Pete Carroll, there's been hardly any drop-off since Sedrick Ellis replaced Patterson. Ellis won the Morris Trophy last season, given to the Pac-10's top defensive lineman. The conference's offensive linemen voted on the award.

"He's simply a dominating player who gets past guys consistently with his quickness and speed," Carroll said. "He's one of the main reasons I'm so excited about this defense."...