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David Pollack Names Week 2 Standout Who is an 'Absolute Animal'
(Photo by Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Manny Diaz era at Duke started well in 2024, with the head coach taking the program to a bowl game and achieving a 9-4 finish.

Diaz took over for Mike Elko after the former Texas A&M assistant returned to College Station last season after a nearly two-year stint at Duke. Elko left after leading the Blue Devils to a 7-5 record in the 2023 regular season.

On Saturday, EDGE Vincent Anthony Jr. had 2.5 sacks against the No. 11 Illinois Fighting Illini, and college football analyst David Pollack called him an "absolute animal."

"Vincent Anthony Jr for Duke is an absolute ANIMAL!" Pollack exclaimed. "6’6 260 and ballin!!!! 3 sacks already vs Illinois. Just watch #7 and enjoy!"

Anthony is in his fourth season with the program and just set a career high in sacks (five) and tackles for loss (10) in 2024. He was a former four-star prospect and the No. 39 defensive lineman in the Rivals Industry Rankings for the 2022 class.

It was not difficult for Anthony to decide where he wanted to play college football; he is a native of Durham, North Carolina, and attended Jordan High School.

While the edge rusher gave his best effort on Saturday, Duke had some dumb, head-scratching mistakes throughout the game. One came in the third quarter with Illinois up 14-13, as the Duke defense forced the Fighting Illini to punt on fourth-and-5.

However, the Blue Devils had two players wearing the No. 8 on the field, which resulted in an equipment violation penalty and gifted Illinois' offense a first down. The Fighting Illini later went on to score a touchdown to make the score 21-13.

Even though Vincent was having a great game, it seems that the Blue Devils struggled not to beat themselves against a ranked college football team.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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