That was the Rico Dowdle folks remembered.
He went a long time without playing much football, getting knocked out halfway through the 2017 season and returning for a modest role in the bowl game. But one has to go farther back to find that Rico Dowdle.
Although the North Carolina product started much of last season, he was never truly effective for one reason or another. He wasn’t the runner who tore down the stretch as a true freshman, posting 125-plus yards three times and 225 once.
Saturday against overmatched Coastal Carolina, he showed signs of being that back again, a product of something behind the scenes.