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'He balled tonight': Dyami Brown shines in UNC football's 38-31 loss to Virginia

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Wide receiver Dyami Brown (2) scores a touchdown during the game against Virginia on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019. 

“I thought it would be a defensive game, and obviously it wasn’t from either standpoint.”

That's how North Carolina head coach Mack Brown summed up the thought that was on everybody's mind after UNC fell to Virginia, 38-31, in the 124th edition of the South's Oldest Rivalry.

One of the main ways the Tar Heels kept Saturday night's matchup from being a defensive chess match? Sophomore wide receiver Dyami Brown.

"He balled tonight," junior linebacker Chazz Surratt said. "What’d he have, like 200 yards? He played really well, kept us in the game, so I’m proud of him."

Surratt was close. Brown finished the offensive explosion that was Saturday's game with 202 receiving yards and three touchdown catches. The fact that the sophomore stuffed his stat sheet with these numbers on just six receptions was an indicator of his ability to make big-time plays.

It was a welcome surprise for a player who hadn't reached 90 receiving yards in a game this year heading into Saturday.

"He’s kind of been quiet the past couple weeks," first-year quarterback Sam Howell said. "You could just tell he had that look in his eye before the game. Every single time he touched the ball, he wanted to take it for six."

It didn't take long for the fans in Kenan Stadium to see that look in Dyami Brown's eyes translate to tangible moments on the field.

On UNC's second drive of the game, Howell opened the series with a slant pass to Brown, who found space down the left sideline and turned the play into a 57-yard reception.

Brown also showed what he's capable of after the catch when Howell connected with him in the second quarter for the team's first touchdown. Brown caught the ball off of another slant route, quickly spun to the outside and turned on the jets down the left sideline for a 47-yard score.

But he wasn't done yet.

During the following drive, Howell and Brown connected again for a 34-yard touchdown over the middle of the field.

“He’s a receiver that can do anything," Howell said. "He can run every single route there is, he can take the top off of any defense whenever he wants to. Every single time the ball is in his hands, he’s capable of going for six.”

The sophomore would go for six one last time, rising over a UVA defender to snag a 42-yard bomb in the front left corner of the end zone during the final minute of the third quarter.

"I’d say I did okay," Brown said. "Regardless of the numbers that I had, I still had a couple drops, could’ve been better."

Howell had three incompletions when targeting Brown during the Tar Heels' final drive, including a game-sealing incompletion on fourth down. The loss to UVA drops UNC to 3-3 in the ACC Coastal Division with the end of the season rapidly approaching.

"It hurts," Brown said. "We went out there, fought hard, knew what we had to play for. Emotions are high right now."

The implications of Saturday's loss certainly weren't lost on the rest of the team either.

"I’ve never been to a bowl game," junior running back Michael Carter said. "I don’t think it’s pressure, I think it’s just, I want to go to a bowl game."

But Howell made it clear that after the loss, his confidence in his teammates hasn't wavered. And he'll certainly keep looking for Brown to help UNC's bowl game dreams come true.

“He’s always part of the game plan," Howell said.

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@McMastersJ

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com