While those numbers are certainly impressive, it's worth noting Downs' receptions already eclipse Brown's team-leading 55 from last season. Howell's favorite target in 2021 is sophomore Josh Downs, who has 60 receptions for 837 yards and eight touchdowns. He eventually entered the NCAA transfer portal. Brown, a sophomore, has struggled after suffering a lower-body injury in the offseason. His third-leading receiver from last season, Khafre Brown, has only one catch for 75 yards in 2021, a year after he caught 15 passes for 337 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
He lost five of his top eight receivers from last year, including third- and sixth-round NFL draft selections Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome, respectively. The same can be said of Howell's receiving corps.
MORE: College Football Playoff Rankings: Four big questions committee must address But the fact Howell ranks second on the team in rushing scores and touchdowns illustrates how much more he has to do in 2021 than last season. Tennessee grad transfer Ty Chandler has been more than serviceable at running back seven games through the season, putting up 588 rushing yards, 728 scrimmage yards and eight total scores. Williams went in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, while Carter went in the fourth. They were not only versatile and effective players, but also kept defenses from focusing solely on Howell. Therein lies a clue to Howell's play in 2021: Last season, he had two 1,000-yard rushers in the North Carolina backfield in Michael Carter (1,512 scrimmage yards, 11 touchdowns) and Javonte Williams (1,445 scrimmage yards, 22 touchdowns). To compare, he had 146 rushing yards and five scores in all of 2020. That includes three games of 100-plus rushing yards he fell 2 yards short of the century mark in a Week 7 win over Miami. One area in which Howell has improved significantly from 2020, however, is his rushing totals: He has 494 yards, a 5.1 yard-per-carry average and five touchdowns on the ground. MORE: Malik Willis, Matt Corral jump free-falling Spencer Rattler, Sam Howell as top QBs picked
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