Tag: Vincent Anthony Jr.

The Duke secondary and pass rush have created an unbeatable combination through Week 6

Through Week 6, the Duke Blue Devils are one of five FBS defenses allowing fewer than five yards per pass attempt.

Even with the Blue Devils losing their first game of the season on Saturday, Duke remains one of the most formidable pass defenses in the country.

Through Week 6, opposing quarterbacks are averaging just 4.9 yards per attempt against defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke and his secondary. Only four FBS teams have been better so far this season, and no other ACC defense is giving up fewer than six yards per pass.

Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King, one of the most productive signal-callers in the country, completed 74.2% of his passes during Saturday’s win, but he only managed 167 yards on 31 attempts. That average of 5.4 is by far his lowest total of the season, and it was just the second time he finished below nine yards per attempt.

The anaconda-esque nature of Duke’s aerial blockade starts up front with the pass rush. The Blue Devils have already picked up 18 sacks as a team, tied for the sixth-most among Power Four programs, and their lone sack on King last week was the first Georgia Tech had given up all season.

Five different members of the pass rush already have multiple sacks this season, including 3.5 from junior edge rusher Vincent Anthony Jr. and 3.0 from transfer linebacker Alex Howard. The Duke trenches have taken over games, finishing with eight sacks against Elon and six against Middle Tennessee.

But even if a quarterback evades the pressure, there’s rarely any space downfield. Duke’s four primary defensive backs (Chandler Rivers, Joshua Pickett, Jaylen Stinson, and Terry Moore) are all upperclassmen, and they’ve played like veteran leaders so far this season.

According to Pro Football Focus, between the 44 times Rivers and Pickett have been targeted, the cornerback duo has given up 22 catches while forcing 11 incompletions. Even if a pass finds its way to the target, there’s a one-in-three chance that the Duke corners ensure it remains a broken play.

Moore already has multiple interceptions this season, reading the quarterback’s eyes and roving around downfield as a constant threat, and Stinson has only missed two tackles this season.

Each member of the four provides an essential skill to the set, and as a result, Patke’s defense forces opposing offenses to abandon big plays. Even without factoring in yards lost on sacks, no team has thrown for more than 251 yards against the Blue Devils, and Miami quarterback Cam Ward might be the only one capable of cracking that trend.

Questions remain about an offense that’s managed just one first-half touchdown in the last two games, but Duke can comfortably win eight games on the back of this defense.

Duke running back Star Thomas leads five Blue Devils on PFF ACC Team of the Week

Five different Duke Blue Devils made the Pro Football Focus ACC Team of the Week for their efforts in the North Carolina comeback.

The Duke Blue Devils scored three late touchdowns against the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday, completely recovering from a 20-0 deficit for one of the biggest comebacks in school history.

Pro Football Focus certainly took notice of the performance, naming five Blue Devils to their ACC Team of the Week on Sunday.

Running back Star Thomas led the way on offense, and he predictably earned his way onto the conference team. The ACC Running Back of the Week rushed for 166 yards, added 45 receiving yards on two receptions, and scored two of Duke’s three touchdowns.

The entire interior offensive line made their way onto the team for their role in Thomas’s breakout performance. Left guard Caleb Krings made the national team after he earned a 91.9 offensive grade, and center Matt Craycraft and right guard Justin Pickett joined him on the ACC squad.

On the defensive side, edge rusher Vincent Anthony Jr. was named as one of the two edge rushers. The junior finished with a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss, including a key second-down stop of UNC running back Omarion Hampton in the fourth quarter. His 3.0 sacks so far this season are tied for the sixth-most in the conference.

Duke Blue Devils take massive lead in tackles for loss among ACC football teams

Through five games, the Duke Blue Devils have 12 more tackles for loss than any other ACC football team.

Through Week 5 of the college football season, no ACC defense comes close to being as disruptive as the Duke Blue Devils.

Duke tackled the North Carolina Tar Heels for a loss six times during Saturday’s 21-20 comeback victory, giving first-year head coach [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] and defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke’s squad 52 TFLs already this season.

The Ole Miss Rebels (53) are the only FBS team with more such plays so far this season, and no other team in the conference has more than 40. In fact, the Miami Hurricanes are the only other ACC team with more than 35.

Stanford, Boston College, California, Virginia, and Wake Forest all have fewer than 26 TFLs to start their season, meaning the Blue Devils have doubled nearly a third of the conference.

Defensive end Vincent Anthony Jr. finished with a sack and 2.5 TFLs on Saturday, including a key second-down stop of UNC running back Omarion Hampton in the fourth quarter. The junior’s 3.5 sacks are the sixth-most in the ACC this season, and linebacker Alex Howard sits second in the conference with 8.5 TFLs despite not recording one against the Tar Heels.

Through four games, no one can throw the ball against the Duke Blue Devils

The Duke Blue Devils have held every opposing quarterback under 4.6 yards per attempt through the first four games of the year.

Through the first four weeks of the college football season, nobody has an answer for the Duke pass defense.

Middle Tennessee quarterback Nicholas Vattiato, fresh off a 456-yard performance against Western Kentucky, managed just 127 yards on 33 attempts against the Blue Devils.

He became the fourth straight quarterback that Duke has held under five yards per attempt, and no offense has thrown for more than 156 yards against first-year head coach Manny Diaz, defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke, and their experienced secondary. Through Week 4, the Blue Devils are giving up just 132.0 yards per game and 4.2 yards per attempt through the air with more interceptions (three) than passing touchdowns allowed (two).

Any nightmarish defense starts in the trenches, and it seems like Diaz and his staff assembled one of the best four-man fronts in the conference. Duke sacked Vattiato five times and backup quarterback Roman Gagliano once, boosting the team total to 15 for the year.

Edge rusher Wesley Williams notched two sacks and a forced fumble by himself on Saturday, and he’s now one of three Duke defenders with at least 2.5 sacks in 2024. Liberty transfer Kendy Charles and team captain Aaron Hall disrupted the MTSU offense constantly from the defensive interior, combining for four tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.

If you factor in sack yardage, the Blue Raiders finished Saturday’s game with 87 net passing yards.

Even if an opponent reaches the second level, Youngstown State transfer linebacker Alex Howard waits for them. One of the most unheralded stars in the Power Four this season, Howard led the team with eight tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss on Saturday.

Even when that pass rush doesn’t get home, however, the vice grip of this experienced secondary doesn’t loosen. Starting defensive backs Chandler Rivers, Joshua Pickett, Jaylen Stinson, and Terry Moore are all upperclassmen with starting experience, and each one has already made multiple game-changing plays. Pickett has broken up five passes, Moore has two interceptions, and Rivers forced a fumble against Connecticut one week after a huge open-field tackle for loss in overtime against Northwestern.

Between that veteran discipline and a deep pass-rush rotation, it’s hard to find the answers for opponents even with conference play on the horizon. Five of the team’s eight ACC opponents already average fewer than 230 yards per game through the air, including the North Carolina Tar Heels. If Duke can maintain this form, it could be the difference between six wins and eight.