By Briana Gorman

bgorman@heraldsun.com; 419-6668

CHAPEL HILL -- For North Carolina center Lowell Dyer, returning for the Virginia Tech game last Thursday after sitting out for the past six weeks with a shoulder injury was, in a word, "awesome."

After starting the first game of the season against The Citadel on Sept. 5, the senior injured his shoulder during practice later that week and had been watching the Tar Heels' roller coaster season from the bench ever since.

"It's one of those things where you hear bad news, like something with your shoulder, you're not exactly sure how it's going to heal," Dyer said. "It was pretty awesome to be back out there playing again."

Dyer's return to the maligned offensive line comes at the perfect time for the Tar Heels, who are starting to click on offense. UNC, which has averaged 29.7 points its last three games, enters Saturday's pivotal matchup with Duke (3:30 p.m., ESPNU) needing to win two of its final four games to be eligible for a bowl game. Dyer, who is a Riverside alum, brings experience to an offensive line that was thin before the season even began.

"Lowell is a great communicator with the rest of the offensive line," UNC quarterback T.J. Yates said. "He can get everything organized. Especially in a loud place like [Virginia Tech], having somebody who's been in that position before and as experienced as Lowell is, it really helped us early in the game."

UNC ran for 181 yards against Virginia Tech and running back Shaun Draughn said Dyer's return played a big role in their success on the ground.

Dyer said it was an adjustment to the pace of the game when he first got in against Virginia Tech, but he quickly adapted. It also helped that he got a week of practice under his belt to shake off the rust. Dyer said he was medically cleared to play two days before the Florida State game, but decided not to rush things and get some practices in to minimize the risk of re-injuring his shoulder.

"There's always going to be a little bit of an adjustment even if you've been playing week to week, getting up to the game speed, but I think I was able to do that fine," said Dyer, who sat out Wednesday's practice with a stomach illness but said he would be fine for Saturday. "My strength felt good and everything like that so I felt that I was rusty initially but I was able to get in the flow very easily."

Dyer said the past few weeks have been difficult as he watched the Tar Heels go through struggles from the sidelines, but that didn't mean he wasn't involved. He was at almost every practice dispensing advice to the younger and more inexperienced players. Dyer attended every game, except the trip to Georgia Tech, and was able to tell the offensive linemen what he saw from his point of view.

"You always want to be there for the guys," Dyer said. "It was a great opportunity to see what it's like from a different angle, certainly not one I necessarily would've wanted, but you try to take advantage of everything you're given."

Davis said Dyer's return will also help alleviate some of the anxiety the coaches had about the offensive line depth. Sophomore Cam Holland has done a solid job filling in at center the past six weeks, and Dyer said the two will continue to share the duties since that's the best way to help the team.

"I think a lot of the strides we've been making of late ... you're seeing a lot of the marks of a good offensive line now that people are getting more experience and really grooving a lot together as a unit," Dyer said. "I can help [with experience] a little bit, but I think we're just coming together really well in this point in the season."