Star UNC wide receiver Josh Downs will play Saturday afternoon against Notre Dame. Downs had been out since Carolina’s Week 0 game against Florida A&M. He finished with nine catches for 78 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Rattlers, but was injured on his last scoring reception.

In the interim, Downs did travel to UNC’s game at Appalachian State in street clothes, but did not attend the Tar Heels’ game at Georgia State the next week. After the bye week, UNC said Downs, fellow receiver Antoine Green and running back Caleb Hood had all practiced and were being monitored in the lead-up to Saturday’s game. Hood missed the Georgia State game, while Green has been out since early August with a collarbone injury.

Downs seemed to confirm his availability himself Thursday afternoon, sending out a tweet that sent UNC fans into a frenzy:

Downs is the current UNC record-holder for most catches (101) and receiving yards (1,335) in a single season, both set last year. He was named first team All-ACC and a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist for his efforts. This year, Downs was named preseason first team All-ACC as both a receiver and a punt returner, preseason second team All-America and a member of the Biletnikoff Award watch list.

Carolina and Notre Dame kick off at 3:30 p.m. on ABC. You can also listen to the game live on 97.9 FM, 1360 AM or by streaming on Chapelboro.com.

 

Featured image via Inside Carolina/Jim Hawkins

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