Breakout Performance: Josh Downs
North Carolina lost several talented offensive skill players to the NFL Draft this off-season. In the early part of the season, Sam Howell has been searching for new weapons to get the ball to on offense. Josh Downs has been the primary candidate to emerge as a star at receiver for the Tar Heels through the first two weeks of the season, but left no doubt in week 3. The speedy receiver had a huge day against Virginia helping the Tar Heels run away with a 59 – 39 win.
Downs opened up the scoring in the first quarter on a play that demonstrated how dangerous he is after the catch. Downs caught a short hitch route, split the defenders and turned on the jets, weaving along the sideline for a long touchdown on what was just a five yard pass. His explosive run after the catch ability opened up the scoring, but Downs was far from done.
On North Carolina’s next possession, Downs showed his ability to make highlight reel catches. He broke free from the coverage heading for the corner of the end-zone and Sam Howell threw the pass to the back pylon. Downs raced underneath the ball and made a diving catch through the back corner of the end-zone, just touching in bounds to secure the catch. The difficult catch put the Tar Heels up 14 – 0 and set the tone for the big win. Downs continued to hurt the Virginia defense over the course of the game, turning screen passes into solid gains, and getting open downfield for chunk plays.
Josh Downs made 8 catches for 203 yards and 2 touchdowns on Saturday, terrorizing the Virginia defense on the way to a big win. He had already put together a couple of solid performances this year, but announced himself as a star to the college football world on Saturday. North Carolina needs weapons to emerge this year and they found a big one at receiver. Downs’ play will take pressure off Sam Howell and help open up the field for the rest of the offense.
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